Mobile asset data management system

ABSTRACT

A vehicle provided with means to prevent the use of the vehicle, or access to it, by unauthorized persons is described. The method includes receiving an operator identifier from a certain operator; determining a group identifier associated with the received operator identifier, the group identifier being indicative of a group of one or more potential operators authorized to operate the asset; determining, based on the group identifier and the received operator identifier, whether the certain operator is one of the potential operators and thus authorized to utilize the asset; and communicating with the asset to enable usage of the asset by the certain operator in response to successfully determining that the certain operator is authorized to utilize the asset.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/426,173, filed Apr. 28, 2003, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/043,361 filed Jan. 9, 2002, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/804,909,filed Mar. 13, 2001 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,898,493), which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/315,071filed May 19, 1999, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field of the Invention

The principles of the present invention are generally directed to anasset management system, and, more specifically, but not by way oflimitation, to a vehicle control system and method using a wirelessarchitecture to control access to a vehicle.

2. Description of Related Art

The main assets of a business organization include buildings, equipment,people, money and data. Data assets are acquired, used, and maintainedin the same manner as any other asset, and might include informationregarding the other assets. Such assets can be mobile or fixed, tangibleor intangible assets. Fixed assets may include equipment (e.g.,manufacturing equipment), buildings, and fixtures. Mobile assets mayinclude battery-powered or unpowered machines, such as forklifts, cars,boats, airplanes, loading equipment, railroad cars, and even smallparcels, containers, letters, and even people. It should be understoodthat fixed and mobile assets may be personal, commercial, and/ormilitary assets. Businesses must “manage” such assets to accomplishtheir business purposes.

The management of such assets includes financial, accounting, marketing,and regulatory issues, to name a few, related to the use of such assetsfor a particular business. Asset management systems facilitate the useof such assets for directing or carrying on such business and, as such,are evaluated in the context of a specific business. For example,package delivery companies are often interested in determining thelocation of its fleet of trucks so that the package delivery company mayeasily determine the time of arrival of the trucks. Car rentalcompanies, too, are interested in determining exact locations of theirvehicles for inventory purposes. Still yet, warehousing companies areinterested in determining locations of particular mobile assets, such asforklifts and containers. Additionally, companies that utilize mobileassets, such as forklifts, are interested in providing access control tothe mobile assets so that only those employees authorized to utilize themobile assets may do so. Thus, asset management systems utilizedifferent databases depending on the nature of the business andindustry, which define the data elements for each database. Regardlessof the variety of databases, asset management systems require robustcommunications systems to ensure that all of the data defined by thebusiness is created, stored, processed and updated according to themandates and specifications of that business.

Wireless communications systems have permeated all aspects of assetmanagement systems and have become a prevalent tool in a variety ofconsumer and industrial applications worldwide. Such wirelesscommunications systems include mobile telephones, satellite television,citizen-band radios, remote computer networking, wireless local areanetworks (LANs), and remote wireless devices. Typically, wirelesscommunications systems, including those for asset management systems,include a central computing system coupled with a wirelessinfrastructure that communicates with multiple wireless devicesassociated with specific assets, i.e., an asset communicator.Conventional design methodology for the wireless communications systemsrequires that the asset communicator have an active communication linkthrough the wireless infrastructure to the central computing system inorder to operate and perform functions associated with the assetmanagement system. In other words, without the communication linksbetween the asset communicator, wireless infrastructure, and the centralcomputing system, the asset communicator is either inoperative or notfully operative. Moreover, if either (i) the communication link betweenthe central computing system and wireless infrastructure or (ii) thelink between the wireless infrastructure and the asset communicator isnot operating properly, many features of the asset communicator becomeinoperative. A useful asset management system must continue tomanipulate the data as described above regardless of the loss orintermittent operation of the communication links and, therefore,requires a wireless communication architecture that facilitates themanipulation of this data. For example, an asset management system forvehicles might include access control data for authorized operators.However, as previously discussed, conventional communications systemsutilized for asset management purposes require a communication link beestablished between the asset communicator and the central computingsystem. Hence, the asset management system must utilize a wirelesscommunication architecture that is not fully dependent uponinstantaneous or active communication between the central computer andthe asset communicators.

As indicated above, asset management systems and their associatedwireless communications systems are developed and operated in thecontext of a specific business to resolve specific business problems.Continuing with the example of a mobile asset or vehicle (e.g. aforklift) and an asset communicator attached to the vehicle thatprocesses access control for the vehicle, a manager of a fleet ofvehicles is generally interested in assuring that the vehicles areoperated by a group of employees having the approval to do so at certaintimes of the day and on certain days of the week to generate a list of“approved operators” that have access to a vehicle at a specific time.Thus, the asset management system includes a database of the approvedoperators that is checked when the operator logs in and starts thevehicle. Because conventional wireless communications systems rely onthe communication link between the asset communicator and the centralcomputing system, the database of the approved operators is maintainedat the central computing system and accessed in the event of a loginrequest to verify and grant access by the operator.

In the case of tracking vehicles, the business goal is to determine notonly the precise location of the vehicle, but also the route that thevehicle traveled to reach a particular location. Utilizing assetcommunicators that require an active link between the mobile wirelessdevice and the central computing system becomes problematic for theseand other particular business issues due to frequent or infrequentfailures of any link between the asset communicator and the centralcomputing system. Because of the communication link failures, essentiallocation data for the assets is lost. Additionally, utilizing aconventional communications system, tracking the traveled route of theasset requires that the asset communicates with the wirelessinfrastructure at a relatively high frequency so that the centralcomputer system can determine location and path traveled of the asset.This technique of determining position and path traveled, however,presents a significant limitation in terms of system bandwidth andcomputing capacity. In the case of the asset communicator having globalpositioning system (GPS) capability, the transmission of position fromthe asset communicator is still problematic for system bandwidth and,potentially, communication fee-related reasons. If, for example, acommunications system utilizes a GPS and cellular combination solution,the cost of continuous communication updates includes a cellulartelephone call for each location update.

One reason for the high frequency of transmission is due to conventionalasset management systems utilizing “dumb” terminals (i.e., assetcommunicators) that communicate information with the wirelessinfrastructure and require that the central computing system performcomputational duties as the “dumb” terminal does not have decisionmaking capability. Utilizing a “dumb” terminal becomes even moreproblematic in that if many assets reside in a small area, thecommunication bandwidth between the mobile wireless devices and thewireless infrastructure is degraded to the point that the businessproblems, such as access control and position tracking, are simplyincapable of truly being solved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome the problems of wireless communications systems beingincapable of effectively solving business problems due to, for example,(i) requiring wireless mobile devices to have an active link to both awireless infrastructure and a central computing system, (ii) utilizing“dumb” terminals having communication capabilities only, and (iii)having the central computing system determine location of the wirelessmobile device, a robust wireless communications system has beendeveloped. The robust wireless communications system allows for“intelligent” mobile wireless devices (e.g., asset communicators) tomake decisions, typically without interaction with the wirelessinfrastructure and/or central computing system. By not requiring anactive link between the mobile wireless devices and the centralcomputing system via the wireless infrastructure, the system may beutilized to solve business problems that demand real-world flexibilityand are substantially fault tolerant.

The system according to the principles of the present invention providesfor information stored by the central computing system to be downloadedto the wireless infrastructure. The wireless infrastructure includes acomputing system for maintaining and transmitting the information to themobile wireless devices. The downloading and transmitting of theinformation from the central computing system, wireless infrastructure,and mobile wireless device is performed sequentially, but notnecessarily simultaneously or even substantially simultaneously. Byallowing the wireless infrastructure to maintain and transmit theinformation without an active link to the central computing system, therobustness of the wireless communications system is increased.

In the uplink direction, information, such as positioning, time of use,and fuel level, measured by the mobile wireless devices may be storedand processed by the mobile wireless devices until a communication linkto the wireless infrastructure becomes established. The uplinkinformation may be stored by the wireless infrastructure until acommunication link is established with the central computing system.Also, the data may be determined unnecessary by the mobile wirelessdevice, and may thus be discarded, thereby dramatically eliminating theneed for storage or transmission. By providing for sequential,non-simultaneous communication of downlink and uplink information, theinformation may be maintained within the robust wireless communicationssystem without being affected by system communication failure. Thedownlink and uplink communication techniques and the use of intelligentmobile wireless devices allow for many previously insolvable businessproblems to be solved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the method and apparatus of the presentinvention may be obtained by reference to the following DetailedDescription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram of a robust wireless communicationssystem for performing asset management according to the principles ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a more detailed block diagram of the robust wirelesscommunications system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is another exemplary block diagram of the robust wirelesscommunications system of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary interaction diagram for performing downlink anduplink communications between components of the robust wirelesscommunications system of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary interaction diagram for performing immediatecommunications between the components of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are exemplary databases operating in the robust wirelesscommunications system of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary flow diagram for communicating data in the robustwireless communications system of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is another exemplary flow diagram for communicating data in therobust wireless communications system of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are exemplary flow diagrams for performing uplinkcommunication on the robust wireless communications system of FIGS. 3,4, and 6B;

FIG. 10 is a graphical representation of entities associated with therobust wireless communications system of FIG. 3 and relational databasesassociated therewith;

FIG. 11 is an exemplary flow diagram for determining and providingauthorization of an asset for an operator utilizing the robust wirelesscommunications system of FIGS. 3, 4, and 6A;

FIG. 12 is an exemplary flow diagram describing altering systemparameters for the robust wireless communications system of FIG. 3;

FIG. 13 is an exemplary flow diagram for the asset communicator to startand stop utilization monitoring as utilized on the robust wirelesssystem of FIGS. 3 and 6B;

FIG. 14 is an exemplary illustration of a mobile asset having a powermonitor for monitoring power usage according to FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is an exemplary chart indicating vehicle usage during the courseof a 24-hour time period on the robust wireless communications system ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 16 represents an exemplary flow diagram for determining andcommunicating position of an asset utilizing the robust wirelesscommunications system of FIGS. 3-5 and 6B;

FIG. 17A is an exemplary flow diagram for performing the OSHA complianceutilizing the robust wireless communications system of FIGS. 3-5, 6A and6B;

FIG. 17B is an exemplary block diagram for integrating a checklistdatabase and event/trigger database into the relational databases ofFIG. 10;

FIG. 17C is an exemplary tree structure representative of a questionlist that may be utilized by the asset communicators of FIG. 1 to askquestions directed to OSHA or for other purposes;

FIG. 18 is an exemplary flow diagram providing a process for performingthe two-way messaging on the robust wireless communications system ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 19 is an exemplary flow chart providing a process for measuringbattery voltage of an asset utilizing the robust wireless communicationssystem of FIGS. 3, 4, and 6B;

FIG. 20 is an exemplary flow diagram 1900 providing for a process ofchanging the battery with a charged battery utilizing the robustwireless communications system of FIGS. 3-5, 6A, and 6B;

FIG. 21 is a typical working environment for a mobile asset utilizingthe robust wireless communications system of FIG. 3 to charge andreplace a battery;

FIG. 22 is a top view of an exemplary mobile asset of FIG. 1 capable ofmeasuring impact of the mobile asset;

FIG. 23 is an exemplary flow diagram for monitoring of an impact to themobile asset of FIG. 21;

FIG. 24 is an exemplary block diagram indicative of a method formanaging scheduled maintenance of assets utilizing the robust wirelesscommunications system of FIG. 3 and communication technique of FIG. 4;

FIG. 25 is an exemplary embodiment of the wireless infrastructure ofFIG. 1 for providing wireless communications on a remotely populatedfleet of assets, such as railcars; and

FIG. 26 is an exemplary flow diagram for managing the remotely populatedassets utilizing the robust wireless communications system of FIG. 3.

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1. Vehicle Information;

TABLE 2. Operator Information;

TABLE 3. Group Information;

TABLE 4. Vehicle Utilization Information;

TABLE 5. Vehicle Location Information;

TABLE 6A. OSHA Question List Details;

TABLE 6B. Vehicle Profile Information;

TABLE 7. Low Battery Information; and

TABLE 8. Impact Information.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Asset management and tracking has become an important issue for largeand small companies due to financial considerations, customer concerns,and governmental regulations, for example. Technology in the fields ofinformation technology (IT) and telecommunications has evolved to enablerobust wireless communications to perform asset management, especiallyin a variety of aspects that solve business problems that do notnecessarily require instantaneous or active communication between acentral computer and an asset (i.e., mobile or fixed). As even the moststable communications networks tend to fail, depending on the particularasset management application, failure of the communications network mayseverely disrupt business operations. Additionally, communicationsnetworks may be bandwidth and/or cost prohibitive for many assetmanagement applications.

The principles of the present invention provide for a robust wirelesscommunications system that performs asset management of mobile and/orfixed assets. The robust wireless communications system accounts fornetwork failures and throughput issues by providing intelligence in boththe wireless infrastructure and mobile wireless devices (e.g., assetcommunicators) associated with the assets. By including intelligence inthe wireless infrastructure and asset communicators, the assets mayremain substantially operational even in the event of a communicationlink failure between the central computer and the wirelessinfrastructure and/or between the wireless infrastructure and the assetcommunicator(s). Additionally, an asset that becomes out-of-range of thewireless infrastructure may still perform intended duties and utilizethe associated asset communicator to perform the asset managementfunctions. Furthermore, by incorporating intelligence into the wirelessinfrastructure and asset communicators, business decisions can be madethat are simply not possible without such intelligent devices, oftenwithout transmitting any data.

The robust wireless communications system is capable of distributingdownlink data utilized in performing the asset management functionalityin a sequential, but not necessarily simultaneous, transmission from thecentral computing system to the wireless infrastructure and from thewireless infrastructure to the asset communicators. In that regard, andin contrast to traditional wireless communications systems, the assetcommunicators need not have active links between (i) the centralcomputing system and wireless infrastructure, and (ii) the wirelessinfrastructure and asset communicators for the data to be downloaded tothe asset communicators. Accordingly, the data may be transmitted to theasset communicators by the wireless infrastructure irrespective of thecommunication link between the central computing system and wirelessinfrastructure. In the uplink direction, the asset communicators areable to receive data from the asset and/or generate data without anactive communication link with either the wireless infrastructure and/orthe central computer. Upon the communication link between the assetcommunicator and wireless infrastructure becoming established, the datamay be uploaded to the wireless infrastructure, stored therein, andfurther uploaded from the wireless infrastructure to the centralcomputing system upon a connection being established thereto.

To enable synchronization of the downlink and uplink between the centralcomputing system, wireless infrastructure, and asset communicators,transaction codes may be applied to individual datasets or data records.By applying transaction codes that are temporal (i.e., based on time ofcreation), the synchronization process may be maintained even if acommunication failure occurs during synchronization of the data bydetermining the transaction codes that exist in the different locations,and continuing synchronizing therefrom. On the downlink communication,the transaction code is used to indicate the most up-to-date data. Onthe uplink communication, the transaction code is used to create aunique key for ensuring the integrity of data such that the order anduniqueness of each dataset is maintained.

In the central computing system, datasets may be generated by asupervisor or operator who enters new data or edits existing data todownload to the asset communicator(s). The asset communicators operatein an intelligent manner by, in general, forming data records based onevents or based on receiving data from an operator interfacing with theasset communicator. One example of an event may include a vehicleoperator logging on, performing various duties with the vehicle, andlogging off. Upon logging off, because the asset communicator isintelligent, a summary of operational information (i.e., dataset) that acustomer desires may be generated, applied a transaction code, andstored on the asset communicator. The dataset, including the associatedtransaction code, may thereafter be transmitted to the wirelessinfrastructure and/or be used by the asset communicator to makedecisions about future transactions (e.g., re-use of previously entereddata, such as an OSHA checklist, for future operator(s)).

By the asset communicator summarizing the information rather thanperiodically transmitting the intermittent information to the wirelessinfrastructure, (i) the asset management may occur without an activecommunication link between the asset communicator and the wirelessinfrastructure, (ii) the bandwidth (and potentially communication cost)of the system may be reduced, (iii) the central computing system neednot be overloaded with computational responsibilities that thedistributed asset communicators are capable of handling, and (iv) thecost of system components (e.g., asset communicators, communicationdevices, and infrastructure installation costs) may be reduced due tothe amount of memory and communication requirements being reduced.Additionally, and more importantly, the robust communications system maysolve many business problems that otherwise could not be solved as theasset communicator and system are capable of performing many, if notall, of the intended business functions on future transactions withouteither (i) a link between the wireless infrastructure and the assetcommunicator and/or (ii) a link between the wireless infrastructure andthe management computer system.

Robust Wireless Communications System Architecture

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary block diagram of a wireless communicationssystem 100 a for an asset management system according to the principlesof the present invention, and more specifically, but without limitation,an asset management system for managing forklifts 105 a-105 d(collectively 105). The robust wireless communications system 100 aincludes at least one local monitor (LM) 110 a-110 f (collectively 110)having a wireless unit operative with a communication range defined bythe cells 111 a-111 f, respectively (collectively 111), of variousradii, and a management computer network 115, configured in a central ordistributed processing configuration, coupled to the local monitors 110via a local communication link 117. For the local monitor to communicatewith the management computer network 115, communication equipment (see,FIG. 2, units 230 a-230 c) is utilized.

The local monitors 110 may be coupled to the management computer network115 as shown by the local monitor 110 a, or indirectly through a localsupervisory computer (not shown) operating as a monitor to themanagement computer network 115. The cells 111 of the local monitors 110may overlap (as shown by the cells 111 d-111 f) or not (as shown by thecells 111 b-111 c) depending on the particular business needs and thespace to be monitored. When more than one local monitor 110 is utilized,they may be positioned to cover a larger and/or more asymmetric servicearea as defined by the particular needs of the business. For example, amultiple cell 111 structure may be designed to cover all the areas of amanufacturing facility that might be visited by a forklift 105,including both permissible and prohibited areas for a particularforklift operator. The local monitors 110 have the ability to usedirectional antennas, as understood in the art, and/or dynamicallychange coverage range to cover certain areas. To dynamically changecoverage range, the local monitors 110 may be software controlled toadjust transmission power. In one embodiment, a variable attenuator maybe utilized to reduce the amount of output power from a local monitor.The adjustment of coverage range may be utilized to further refine thelocation of assets. In another embodiment, a local monitor near a door,such as a warehouse loading dock door, may be configured to have alimited communication range for the immediate area in front of the door.

It should be understood that the wireless architecture between themanagement computer network 115 and the local monitors 110 varydepending on the type of asset being managed for a specific businessneed. The local monitors 110 also have data processing and storagecapability along with its wireless communication equipment. The localmonitors 110 may also be coupled via a network communication link 118 toother networks (not shown) such as, for example, the Internet to awebserver 119 or wireless local area network. The webserver 119 may beaccessed by a customer renting a vehicle or a manager of certaindatabases in the asset management system to inspect parameters andoperating conditions of the system.

The robust wireless communications system 100 a also includes assetcommunicators 120 a-120 d (collectively 120), each one associated with aspecific asset, and in this embodiment, a forklift 105 a-105 d,respectively, for communicating with the local monitors 120 via theirassociated asset communication links 130 a-130 d (collectively 130),respectively. The asset communication links 130 may be any form ofwireless communication link including, without limitation, cellular,radio frequency (RF) (possibly including adjustable range), wirelessEthernet (i.e., the 802.11b wireless communication standard), paging,satellite, or a combination of any of the foregoing. The assetcommunicators 120 also have data processing and storage capability alongwith their wireless communication equipment.

In operation, the asset communicators 120 become active for uplinking ordownlinking data when it comes within the range of the cell 111 of oneof the local monitors 110 to establish the corresponding assetcommunication link 130 with the local monitor 110. The establishment ofthe asset communication links 130 is independent of the localcommunication link 117 for any of the local monitors 110. Each assetcommunicator (i) identifies the local monitor(s) 110 in communicationtherewith and (ii) determines what, when, and how often to communicate.To identify the local monitor(s) 110, the asset communicator 120receives identifier(s) associated with the local monitor(s) 110 anddetermines the available communication link(s) 130. The data beingcommunicated is dependent on the business problems currently beingperformed by the asset communicators 110. When and how often tocommunicate the data may be determined by current operating conditionsand/or predetermined rules and system parameters.

Data is uplinked or downlinked between one of the asset communicators120 and one of the local monitors 110 only when the correspondingforklift 105 moves within the range of the cell 111 of that localmonitor 110. For example, when a first forklift 105 a moves within therange of the cell 111 b, the asset communication link 130 a isestablished between the asset communicator 120 a and the local monitor110 b, whereupon data stored on either one of the devices can beuplinked to, or downlinked from, the other device. A second forklift 105b might move within the range of the same cell 111 b to establish asimilar asset communication link 130 b between its asset communicator120 b and the same local monitor 110 b. A third forklift 105 d mightmove within the range of the cell 111 f to establish a first assetcommunication link 130 d between its asset communicator 120 d and thelocal monitor 110 f, and then move out-of-range into the range of thecell 111 e as shown by the arrow 131 to establish a second assetcommunication link 130 d′ at a later time between the asset communicator120 d′ and a second local monitor 110 e. An asset communicator 120 b mayhave multiple links open simultaneously with different local monitors110, and use the best communication link for both uplink and downlinkcommunications.

Referring more specifically to the example of a forklift operator above,in the robust wireless communications system 100 a may be a multi-cellsystem as just described including a database that permits a specificforklift operator to be operating the forklift 105 d in an area coveredby the local monitor 110 f, but prohibits the same operator from drivingthat forklift to another area covered by the local monitor 110 e. Thispart of the database is stored by the asset communicator 120 d settingforth the permissible and prohibited areas of operation for thatoperator as soon as she identifies herself by logging-in to start theforklift 105 d. If she drives the forklift 105 d into the range of thecell 111 e, the asset communicator 120 d′ may determine itscommunication link status and communicate the presence andidentification of both the forklift and the operator to the localmonitor 110 e via the asset communication link 130 d′. The assetcommunicator 120 d′ may take active measures to alert the operator ofthe location violation and/or disable the forklift. Alternatively oradditionally, the data would then be stored in the memory of localmonitor 110 e and processed to alert the operator of the violation, shutdown the forklift 105 d′, and/or notify a supervisor of the breach byuplinking the data from the local monitor 110 e to the managementcomputer network 115 via the local communication link (not shown), butonly when that local communication link is established. As indicatedabove, the establishment of the asset communication links 130 isindependent of the local communication link 117 to the managementcomputer network 115. For example, the database could have been updatedby the management computer network 115 to update the database on thelocal monitor 110 e, but not the asset communicator 120 d, authorizingthe operator to be in the area covered by the cell 111 e before theoperator entered that area. Upon entering this area, the local monitor110 e would update the asset communicator 120 d′ so that it would nottransmit a breach signal to the local monitor 110 e.

FIG. 2 is a more detailed block diagram of the robust wirelesscommunications system of FIG. 1. The robust wireless communicationssystem 100 c includes the management computer network 115, wirelessinfrastructure 202, and asset communicator 120. The management computernetwork 115 includes a supervisor interface 205, database engine 210,middleware 215, and system administrator interface 220. The supervisorinterface 205 is operable to provide a supervisor (e.g., a user or anexternal computing system operable to perform supervisory functions) ofthe management computer network 115 the capability to view data orupdate data (i.e., create new data, edit existing data, and/or deleteexisting data) stored in a database. For example, a supervisory user(i.e., supervisor) may use the supervisor interface 205 to view an assetlocation report stored in the database, and a supervisory computingdevice may automatically update a list of employees stored in thedatabase. The database engine 210 may be any software operable to managedata stored in the database. For example, the database engine 210 may bea commercial (e.g., Oracle) or non-commercial database engine. Themiddleware 215 is software and/or hardware operable to providecommunication between the database engine 210 and wirelessinfrastructure 202. The middleware 215 may also provide other managementor functional operations as understood in the art. The systemadministrator interface 220 provides a system administrator the abilityto perform a variety of functions in direct communication with themiddleware via a communication link 222. One function that may beperformed by the system administrator interface 220 includes alteringthe communication range of one or more local monitors 110.

The wireless infrastructure 202 includes at least one wirelessinfrastructure unit 225. The wireless infrastructure unit 225 includes alocal monitor 110, at least one of which is coupled to a wiredcommunication unit 230 a, a wireless communication unit 230 b (e.g.cellular or wireless LAN), and/or a satellite communication unit 230 c(collectively 230) that communicates with the middleware 215 via thelocal communication link 117. The local monitor 110 includes a processorfor operating a database engine 242, which may be the same or similar tothe database engine 210 of the management computer network 115, andother software (not shown) that performs specific business functions.The wireless infrastructure unit 225 further includes a radio frequency(RF) wireless unit 235. The RF wireless unit 235 may include hardwareand software for performing wireless communications utilizing anywireless protocol as understood in the art. For example, a wirelessEthernet standard may be utilized by the wireless infrastructure unit225 to communicate with the asset communicators 120 via the assetcommunication link 130 a. A local monitor 110 a may communicate withanother local monitor 110 b via the respective RF wireless units 235.Although the local monitor 110 is shown to be coupled to thecommunication units 230 and RF wireless unit 235, an alternativeembodiment of the local monitor 110 may include either or both units 230and 235 in the same physical box.

The asset communicator 120 includes an RF wireless unit 245 forcommunicating with the RF wireless unit 235 of the wirelessinfrastructure unit 225. Additionally, the asset communicator mayinclude a wired unit (not shown) for direct wire communication with aportable computing system, for example, for downloading to or uploadingfrom the asset communicator 120.

The asset communicator 120 further includes a database engine 250operable to manage data being collected or received by the assetcommunicator 120. The asset communicator 120 also contains a computerprogram on-board to determine what, when, where, and how often tocommunicate as previously discussed.

Both the asset communicators 120 and the wireless infrastructure units225 may be considered embedded systems, where an embedded system isdefined as a combination of hardware and software that together form acomponent of a larger system. An example of an embedded system is amicroprocessor that controls an automobile engine. Embedded systems aredesigned to execute without human intervention, and may be required torespond to events in real-time.

The asset communicator 120 is coupled to the wireless infrastructure 202via the asset communication link 130 a (link A). The wirelessinfrastructure 202 is coupled to the management computer network 115 viathe local communications link 117 (link B). The middleware 215 iscoupled to the database engine 210 via a communication link 255 (linkC). The database engine 210 is coupled to the supervisor interface 205via a communication link 260 (link D)

Traditionally, mobile wireless devices, such as asset communicators, arecapable of performing their intended operation by having communicationlinks A, B, and C simultaneously operating. The principles of thepresent invention, however, allow for the asset communicators 120 tooperate autonomously without having links A, B, and/or C simultaneouslyoperating. As previously discussed, the asset communicator 120 andwireless infrastructure unit 225 are intelligent in that they arecapable of performing decisions that traditionally only the managementcomputer network 115 performed.

FIG. 3 is another exemplary block diagram of the robust wirelesscommunications system of FIGS. 1 and 2. The management computer network115 includes a management computing system 302 having a processor 304coupled to a memory 306, I/O device 308 and storage device 310. Thestorage device 310 may include one or more databases 312 a, 314 a, and316 a, for example. The databases 312 a-316 a may be used to storevarious data associated with performing asset management. The databasesmay operate as relational databases in that each database may havecorresponding or associated data elements with one or more otherdatabases. For example, multiple databases may have a vehicle number sothat any data associated with the vehicle number in either database maybe related utilizing the database engine 210.

The management computing system 302 may further be coupled to thesupervisor interface 205 via the communication link 260 (link D), andthe system administrator interface 220 via the communication link 222.The supervisor interface 205 and system administrator interface 220 maybe utilized to interact with the management computing system to modifyand view the data stored in the databases 312 a-316 a. The supervisor205 and system administrator 220 interfaces may utilize the sameprocessor 304 as the management computing system 302.

The processor 304 may execute the database engine 210 and middleware215. Alternatively, the database engine 210 may be executed on adifferent processor in conjunction with the storage device 310. In thatregard, the storage device 310 may be external from the managementcomputing system 302 and be formed of one or more storage devices. Thestorage devices 310 may be a magnetic and/or optical disk, or be ofanother memory device type, such as random access memory.

The management computing system 302 may further be coupled by the localcommunication link 117, which includes communication link 117 a, network117 b (e.g., the Internet), and communication link 117 c. The webserver119 may be coupled to the network 117 b via the network communicationlink 118. The wireless infrastructure 202 a may be coupled to thenetwork 117 b via communication link 117 c, and include a local monitor110 that includes a processor 318 coupled to a memory 320, I/O unit 322,and storage device 324. The storage device may be internal or externalfrom the local monitor 110, and be utilized to store databases 312 b,314 b, and 316 b. The databases 312 b-316 b may be replicated from thedatabases 312 a-316 a. The processor 318 may execute the local monitordatabase engine 242 that operates to maintain the replicated databases312 b-316 b. As indicated by the dashed lines, the local monitor may bemaintained in a facility 326 that the operator of the facility utilizesto perform asset management for mobile and/or fixed assets.

The local monitor 110 may be coupled to the RF wireless unit 235 via awired or wireless communication link (not shown), thereby forming awireless infrastructure unit 225 a. A second wireless infrastructureunit 225 b formed of a local monitor 110 and RF wireless unit is alsoutilized to communicate with assets 105 on the premises. The wirelessinfrastructure units 225 a and 225 b communicate with assetcommunicators 120 g and 120 h associated with mobile assets 105 g and105 h (e.g., forklifts)

The asset communicator 120 g includes the RF wireless unit 245 coupledto a processor 328. The processor 328 may further be coupled to a memorydevice 330, keypad 332, display 333, and input/output (I/O) unit 334.The memory 330 may be random access memory, flash memory, orprogrammable read-only memory as understood in the art. Alternatively,the memory 330 may be a magnetic or optical disk. The memory 330 may beoperable to store databases 312 c, 314 c, and 316 c.

The I/O unit 334 may include receiving and/or transmitting devices, andbe coupled to power, sensors, or other input and output devices (notshown). The I/O unit 334 of the asset communicator 120 may receive powerfrom a power source, such as a battery, located on the asset 105 or froma battery coupled to the asset communicator 120. The decision as towhether to receive power from an internal (e.g., battery of assetcommunicator 120) and/or external power source (e.g., battery of asset105, wall power, etc.) may be based on the application that the assetcommunicator is being utilized. For example, if the asset communicator120 is being used for tracking a forklift, it may be appropriate to drawpower from the forklift. If, however, the asset communicator 120 isbeing used for tracking a parcel, then a battery of the assetcommunicator 120 is used to provide power as, in general, a parcel doesnot have a battery. It should be understood that a battery may beincluded with the asset communicator 120 and be utilized as a backuppower supply as understood in the art upon the asset communicator 120losing power from the asset 105. The sensors may include temperature,current, voltage, impact, motion, pressure, weight, or any other suchelectronic sensors. Input devices may include barcode scanners,proximity card readers, magnetic card readers, and other biometricreading devices. The output devices may include relays, switches,lights, sirens, horns, or any other electronic output device. The RFwireless unit 245 may further be coupled to an antenna 336.

The size, structure, and configuration of the asset communicator 120 maybe dependent upon the environment and asset 105 that the assetcommunicator 120 is associated. For example, if the asset communicator120 is utilized in an industrial or outdoor environment, then a heavyduty housing being substantially water resistant may be used. If,however, the asset communicator 120 is utilized to perform parceltracking, then the size, weight, thickness, and flexibility, forexample, is an issue. In such a case, the asset communicator 120 may beconstructed of multiple circuit boards. In one embodiment, three circuitboards having minimal dimensions (e.g., one-by-two inches) may becoplanar and coupled via a flexible, flat cable and/or circuitry havingtransmission lines for communicating data between the circuit boards. Byusing the flexible, flat cable, the asset communicator 120 is capable ofbeing bent without breaking during shipping of the parcel. Additionally,the circuitry on the circuit boards may be coated with a durable,compressible material, such as rubber, to prevent damage to thecircuitry and to reduce stresses on the circuit boards during shippingof the parcel. A battery may further be coupled to the assetcommunicator 120 via the cable to provide power to the circuit board andallow for replacement. It should be understood that while the size,structure, and configuration of the asset communicator may vary, thefunctionality of the asset communicator 120 remains substantially thesame.

In operation, the management computing system 302 may operate as acentral computing system for the robust wireless communications system100 c. An operator of the supervisor interface 205 may view or update(i.e., create, edit, or delete) information or data stored in thedatabase(s) 312 a-316 a utilizing the database engine 210. For eachaddition, edit, or deletion, a transaction code (see FIG. 4) isassociated with the data, thereby forming a data record or dataset,which is stored in a database 312 a, for example. The managementcomputing system 302, utilizing the database engine 210 and middleware215, communicates the data stored in the database 312 a utilizing theI/O unit 308 in data packets 338 a-338 b over the network 117 b tospecified local monitors 110 based on business functions being performedand current communication links. For example, a text message may betransmitted to only the local monitor 110 in communication with theasset communicator 105 g as determined by the middleware 215 inconjunction with the database engine 210. As another example, abroadcast text message may be transmitted to all local monitors 110servicing asset communicators 120.

The local monitor 110, utilizing the database engine 240, stores thedata in the database 312 b, if necessary, to replicate the database 312a. By replicating the database 312 a in the local monitor 110, it ispossible for the local communication link 117 to fail and the localmonitor 110 to operate independently. The data stored in the localmonitor 110 may thereafter be transmitted or broadcast the datatemporally to the asset communicators 120 g and 120 h operating in therange of the RF wireless units 235 a and/or 235 b. While the localmonitor 110 is storing the data for further communication, the localmonitor 110 may determine that the data becomes obsolete beforecommunicating the data to asset communicator(s) 120. Such a situationmay occur upon (i) the data becoming expired or out-of-date (e.g.,notification for scheduled maintenance becoming past due), (ii) the databeing superseded by newer data (e.g., work instructions being modifiedby the supervisor), or the data becoming irrelevant (e.g., text messagehaving utility for a duration of five minutes), for example. If the databecomes obsolete, the local monitor 110 may simply not communicateand/or delete the data being stored therein.

An asset communicator 120 g that receives the data via data packets 338a-338 b may determine that the data is associated with the particularasset communicator 120 by identification of a data field, and store thedata in a database 312 c. The database 312 c is a subset of the datastored in the databases 312 a and 312 b. In other words, the data storedby the management computing system 302 is communicated to the localmonitor 110, stored therein for an indefinite period of time, andtransmitted from the local monitor 110 to all asset communicators 120 inrange thereof, if needed. The asset communicators 120 are intelligentand capable of parsing the received data to determine the dataassociated therewith. Therefore, the databases 312 c-316 c are subsetsof the databases 312 a-316 a and 312 b-316 b. It should be understoodthat each asset communicator 120 may receive and store data in similarlyconfigured databases.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary interaction diagram 400 for performing downlinkand uplink communications between components of the robust wirelesscommunications system of FIG. 3. The three associated databases 312 a,312 b, and 312 c are indicated by the vertical lines. Additionally, timeincreases down the vertical lines. Data communicated between thecomputer system database 312 a and local monitor database 312 b in thedownlink direction is transmitted over the local communication link 117.The data is communicated in a data packet 338, which may include controldata 402 a and data 404 a and datasets stored in the databases 312 a-316a, for example. The data 404 a includes a transaction code (TC₁) 406 a.As understood in the art, the control data 402 a is associated with datacommunicated via data packets 338 as part of a data communicationprotocol. Acknowledgement packets 407 may be used to ensure that thedownlink data is successfully replicated as determined by the localmonitors 110 utilizing a checksum or other data verification techniqueas understood in the art. The acknowledgement 407 may occur uponcompletion of all data being transmitted from the computer systemdatabase 312 a to the local monitor database 312 b to minimize networkbandwidth requirements.

Upon the data being successfully received by the local monitor database312 b, the data is stored for an unspecified period of time ΔT_(D). Atsome random or non-random time T₂ the data may be read and transmittedfrom the local monitor 110 via data packet 338 x to an area or cell 111that the local monitor 110 services. As indicated, the control data 402b, data 404 b, and transaction code 406 b may be different than thecontrol data 402 a, data 404 a, and transaction code 406 a due to (i)the time delay between T₁ and T₂ and (ii) new data received by thecomputer system database 312 a not having been transmitted to the localmonitor database 312 b. An acknowledgement packet 408 may be used toconfirm the receipt of the data packet 338 x depending upon whetherconfirmation is desired for a particular business function. For example,if a text message is transmitted to a particular asset communicator 120g, then the acknowledgement 408 is desirable. Alternatively, if abroadcast text message is transmitted to all asset communicators 120,then an acknowledgement is not necessary. Ultimately, however, the datafrom the computer system database 312 a is transmitted and may be storedin the asset communicator database 312 c. While the data communicatedacross the communication links 117 and 130 may be transmittedsequentially (i.e., first across the local communication link 117 andsecond across the asset communication link 132), the data need not becommunicated simultaneously across the communication links 117 and 130.Upon the data being received by the asset communicator database 312 c,an acknowledgment 408 may be communicated back to the local monitordatabase 312 b, and the data 404 b may be deleted therein. By deletingthe data 404 b within the local monitor database 312 b, repetitivetransmission of the data 404 b may be eliminated.

With regard to uplinking, upon the asset communicator 120 collecting andstoring the data in the asset communicator database, the assetcommunicator 120 may perform the uplink communication 400 b from theasset communicator database 312 c to the local monitor database 312 b.At T₃ a data packet 338 y, including control data 410 a and data 412 aassociated with a transaction code (TC₂) 414 a, is transmitted from theasset communicator database 312 c to the local monitor database 312 b.If there is sufficient storage capacity, the data 412 a is stored by thelocal monitor database 312 b for an indefinite period of time ΔT_(u) andan acknowledgement 409 is sent to the asset communicator. This timeperiod ΔT_(u) may extend for a minimal duration or any duration of timeuntil the local communication link 117 becomes operational or active.Once the acknowledgement 409 is received, the asset communicator 110 maydelete the data packet 338 y from its memory. If there is not sufficientstorage capacity in the local monitor 312 b, the asset communicator 110continues to store or transmit the data 338 y to another local monitordatabase 312 b. At time T₄ the data 412 b, including transaction code414 b, is transmitted from the local monitor database 312 b to thecomputer system database 312 a via data packet 338 z. An acknowledgment416 may be communicated back to the local monitor database 312 b fromthe computer system 312 a so that (i) the local monitor database 312 bdoes not continue to communicate the data 412 b to the computer systemdatabase 312 a, and (ii) the data may be deleted from the local monitordatabase 312 b. The control data 402 a, 402 b, 410 a, and 410 b mayinclude authentication and/or encryption data to ensure validity andsecurity of communications to protect confidential information. Itshould be understood that in both the downlink 400 a and uplink 400 bcommunications that additional acknowledgment from the local monitordatabase 312 b may be communicated back to both the computer systemdatabase 312 a and the asset communicator database 312 c to notify eachto stop communicating the information associated with the particulartransaction codes transmitted.

The communication technique of FIG. 4 is realizable 15 because of theintelligence built into both the local monitor 110 and assetcommunicator 120. And, because of the communication technique, therobust communications system 100 c is capable of handling and solvingmany business problems involved in managing assets remotely.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary interaction diagram 500 for performing immediatecommunications between the components of FIG. 3. A downlinkcommunication 500 a and uplink communication 500 b are shown for thepaging communications that may be utilized on the robust wirelesscommunications system 100 c. For the downlink communication, at time T₅,a data packet 338 m may be communicated between the computer systemdatabase 312 a and local monitor database 312 b, and include controldata 502 and data 504 associated with transaction code (TC₃) 506. Uponthe local monitor database 312 b receiving the data packet 338 m, anacknowledgement signal 507 a may be communicated back to the computersystem database 312 a for verification purposes. The local monitordatabase 312 b may operate as a pass-through to the asset communicatordatabase 312 c in the immediate communication mode. Alternatively, thelocal monitor 110 may not store the data in the local monitor database312 b. In other words, there is little or no delay for the data beingcommunicated from the computer system database 312 a to the assetcommunicator database 312 c. Accordingly, the data communicated from thelocal monitor database 312 b to the asset communicator database 312 c isthe same or substantially similar data packet 338 m including thecontrol data 502, data 504, and transaction code (TC₃) 506. Anacknowledgement signal 507 b may be communicated from the assetcommunicator 120 back to the local monitor 110 upon receipt of the datapacket 338 m by the asset communicator database 312 c.

Similarly, the uplink communication 500 b in the immediate communicationmode transmits data at time T₆ from the asset communicator database 312c to the computer system database 312 a with a minimal amount of delayvia the local monitor database 312 b. The data may be communicated in adata packet 338 n, which includes control data 508 and data 510associated with a transaction code (TC₄) 512. The data packet 338 n isthereafter communicated from the local monitor database 312 b to thecomputer system database 312 a with minimal or no alterations or delay.Acknowledgement signals 514 a and 514 b may be communicated from thelocal monitor 110 to the asset communicator 120 and from the managementcomputing system 302 to the local monitor 110, respectively, uponreceipt of the data packets 338 n. As understood in the art, theimmediate communication mode may operate similar to conventionalwireless data communication techniques as understood in the artutilizing any communication standard thereof.

Data Synchronization

FIGS. 6A and 6B are exemplary databases operating in the robust wirelesscommunications system of FIG. 3. FIG. 6A illustrates the downlinkfunctionality of the robust communications system 100 d. As shown, themanagement computing system 302 includes the storage device 310 anddatabases 312 a, 314 a, and 316 a (databases A, B, and C). To indicatethe database that a dataset is associated, a transaction type specifiermay be included with each dataset. The transaction type specifier (e.g.,“collision”, “low battery”, “location”, and “text message response”) maybe utilized to differentiate different dataset types communicated to theasset communicator 120. The transaction code associated with eachdataset may be included to indicate the most up-to-date data from theassociated database. The data stored in the databases 312 a-316 a may betransmitted to the local monitor 110 while the local communication link117 is established. The local monitor 110 stores the data on the storagedevice 324 in databases (A′-C′) 312 b-316 b. While databases 312 b-316 bare intended to be replicas of the databases 312 a-316 a, it may not bepossible to have exact replicas at any given point in time due to thelocal communication link 117 or other hardware or software failuresduring operation and/or synchronization of the data between themanagement computing system 302 and local monitor 110. Additionally,depending on the application and type of data, a complete replication ofthe databases 312 a and 312 b may not be needed.

Generally, the local monitor 110 communicates the data stored in thedatabases 312 b-316 b in a broadcast fashion (i.e., without regard toasset communicators 120 in the broadcast area of the local monitor 110).Alternatively, the local monitor 110 may broadcast to only those assetcommunicators 120 that have registered with the local monitor 110 uponbeing within broadcast range. However, by broadcasting a data withoutregard to asset communicators 120 in the broadcast area, the bandwidthof the broadcast may be increased due to the acknowledgement 408 notneeding to be transmitted and received, and the broadcast process may besimplified. It should be understood that the data communicated via theasset communication link 130 is made from each of the databases 312b-316 b, and may be performed in a temporal order based on transactioncodes associated with the datasets stored in the databases 312 b-316 b.

Each asset communicator 120 a-120 c receives the data broadcast from thelocal monitor 110. Each asset communicator 120 a-120 c parses the datareceived and stores only the data associated therewith as determined bythe contents of the data (e.g., mobile asset identifiers and transactioncodes). Once the asset communicator 120 has received a dataset having aparticular transaction code, the asset communicator 120 does not store adataset having a transaction code indicating that the dataset is notup-to-date. As shown, the databases 312 c-316 c are indicated as beingdatabases A″, B″, and C″ to indicate that the data stored in thedatabases is a subset of the databases (A′-C′) 312 b-316 b. It should beunderstood that although the data is indicated as being stored in threedatabases, other embodiments may use one or other numbers of databasesfor performing particular functions on the robust wirelesscommunications system 100 d. It should further be understood that theasset communicators 120 may receive all communicated data from thedatabases A′, B′, and C′ and store all of the data in databases A″, B″,and C″. However, such a communication technique may be problematic interms of storage capacity in the asset communicators 120 depending onthe volume of data located in the databases A′, B′, and C′.

FIG. 6B is the uplink representation for the robust wirelesscommunications system 100 d. As indicated, each asset communicator 120forms a database (X) 605 a, 605 b, and 605 c. The databases 605 a-605 cmay be utilized for storing location or utilization informationparticular to each of the asset communicators 120 a-120 c. A transactiontype specifier, transaction code, and asset number, may be included ineach dataset. The transaction code may be utilized along with the assetnumber to form a unique dataset key. The transaction type specifier,again, is utilized to identify the database that the dataset isassociated. When the asset communicators 120 a-120 c are individually inrange of the local monitor 110, the asset communicators 120 a-120 c maytransmit the data stored in the databases 605 a-605 c to the localmonitor 110 via the asset communication link 130. The data is stored inthe database (X′) 605 d. The local monitor 110 communicates anacknowledgment to the asset communicator 120 a indicating that the datawas received by the local monitor 110. The asset communicator 120 athereafter does not continue transmitting that particular datasetassociated with the particular transaction code. The data may remainstored on the asset communicator 120 a, but is eventually overwrittenwith new data or used for future calculations.

The local monitor 110 may thereafter transmit the data stored in thedatabase 605 d to the management computing system 302. The data may bestored in the database (X″) 605 e via the local communication link 117.Although the data is intended to be replicated between databases (X) 605d and 605 e, due to the local communication link 117 and thehardware/software operation of the local monitor 110 and the managementcomputing system 302, the databases may not be synchronized at allpoints in time as the database 605 d continues to receive data from theasset communicators 120.

In the event that the local communication link 117 becomes disabled, thelocal monitor 110 maintains the data stored in the database 605 dwithout transmitting to the management computing system 302. As thedatabase 605 d fills up and eventually becomes full, a message iscommunicated to the asset communicators 120 a-120 c in the broadcastarea of the local monitor 110 indicating that the local monitor 110 mayno longer receive data from the asset communicators 120 a-120 c due to atemporary memory full condition. If any of the asset communicators 120a-120 c are within range of another local monitor 110, then the data maybe transmitted to the other local monitor 110. Because the assetcommunicators 120 a-120 c are intelligent, the asset communicators maybe configured to transmit the data to the local monitor 110 overincremental periods of time (e.g., 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 30minutes, etc). And, if the asset communicators 120 are unable totransmit the data to a local monitor 110 due to communication problemsor simply being out of range, the asset communicators 120 are capable ofstoring the data for many months due to the ability of the assetcommunicators 120 to summarize and consolidate, or purge the data beingcollected based on business rules. In addition, intelligent wirelesscommunication techniques, such as re-transmissions, frequency hopping,communication back-off (i.e., reducing communication rate based oncommunication failure), and communication termination also may be usedto improve communication link and system-wide communication. Upon anasset communication link 130 being reestablished with the local monitor110 by the asset communicators 120, all the backlogged data maythereafter be transmitted to the local monitor 110.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary flow diagram for communicating data in the robustwireless communications system of FIG. 3. The process starts at step702. At step 704, data associated with an asset is stored in a centrallocation. Updated data may be received at the central location at step706. At step 708, an identifier is applied to the updated data to form adataset. At step 710, the dataset may be stored at the central location.The central location may transmit the dataset to a distribution channelvia a first communication link at step 712. At step 714, the dataset isstored along the distribution channel. At step 716, the dataset istransmitted to the asset via a second communication channel independentof the first communication link being simultaneously established. Theprocess ends at step 718.

FIG. 8 is another exemplary flow diagram 800 for communicating data inthe robust wireless communications system of FIG. 3. The process startsat step 802. At step 804, sets of data are stored temporally by acomputing system. At step 806, the most recent set of data communicatedto a wireless infrastructure is determined. One method to determine themost recent set of data communicated (and stored) is to transmit a queryto the wireless infrastructure 202. Based on the most recent set ofcommunicated data, more recently stored data by the computing system isdetermined at step 808. At step 810, the more recently stored data iscommunicated to the wireless infrastructure 202. At step 812, thecommunicated data is stored in the wireless infrastructure 202. Theprocess ends at step 814.

FIGS. 9A and 9B (collectively FIG. 9) illustrate exemplary flow diagrams900 a and 900 b for performing uplink communication on the robustwireless communications system of FIGS. 3 and 6B. The process starts atstep 902. At step 904, data associated with an asset 105 is received byan asset communicator 120. The data may be measured by sensors locatedon the asset 105 or may be data entered by an operator of the assetcommunicator 120. The data may also include location data or datacreated through the receipt of wireless data. At step 906, anidentifier, such as a transaction code, is applied to the data. Theidentifier may be temporal in relation to identifiers associated orapplied to other data received by the asset communicator 120. Theidentifier may be a transaction code having an indicator associated withthe asset communicator 120. At step 908, the data and identifier arestored as a dataset.

At step 910, a determination is made as to whether a wireless link isestablished between the asset communicator 120 and wirelessinfrastructure 202. If an asset communication link 130 is currentlyestablished between the asset communicator 120 and the wirelessinfrastructure 202, then the dataset is transmitted to the wirelessinfrastructure 202 at step 912. Otherwise, the process returns to step904, and the asset communicator 120 continues to receive and collectdata associated with the asset 105 by the asset communicator 120. Atstep 914, the asset communicator receives an acknowledgment that thedataset was received by the wireless infrastructure 202, and the assetcommunicator discontinues transmitting the dataset at step 916.

At step 918, a determination is made as to whether a local communicationlink is established between the wireless infrastructure 202 and amanagement computing system 302. If a local communication link 117 isestablished, and, if the dataset must be transmitted to the managementcomputing system, then the dataset is transmitted from the wirelessinfrastructure unit 225 to the management computing system 302 at step920. Otherwise, the data is stored or maintained by the wirelessinfrastructure 202 until the local communication link 117 isre-established. The process ends at step 922.

Asset Management Applications Utilizing Robust Wireless CommunicationsSystem Architecture

The following applications to provide various asset management functionsutilize the robust wireless communications system as discussedhereinabove. Depending upon the particular application and businessproblem being solved, the communication techniques of FIGS. 4 and 5 areutilized to communicate data within the system.

Relational Database Configuration

FIG. 10 is a graphical representation 1000 of entities associated with arobust wireless communications system based on that of 100 c of FIG. 3,and relational databases associated therewith. The informationassociated with the entities are 25 utilized to provide access controland authorization for operators to utilize the assets 105. Fourentities, including vehicles 1005, operators 1010, groups 1015, andauthorizations 1020 are linked together by relational databases (V, O,G). A vehicle (V) database links the vehicle 1005 and group 1015entities. An operator (O) database links the operator 1010 and group1015 entitles. And, a group (G) database links the authorization 1020and group 1015 entities. Each of these databases (i.e., V, O, and G) maybe generated and maintained in the management computer network 1005 by asupervisor utilizing the supervisor interface 205. As understood in theart, each of the databases includes information associated with theparticular entities of which the databases are associated.

TABLES 1, 2, and 3 hereinafter provide exemplary information stored inthe vehicle, operator, and group databases, respectively. As shown inTABLE 1, each dataset includes a transaction code, group identification(ID), and vehicle number. For each dataset, the transaction code isincremented based on the number of updates to the vehicle database. Thegroup identifier associated with a particular vehicle is indicative of aparticular group of operators or employees who have access rights tooperate the vehicle. For example, a group may be defined as a shippingdepartment or group identified with a head of a department. For example,vehicle number “372A7C” may be operated by any member associated withthe group “A4”, which may represent the shipping department. Asindicated by the asterisk behind each vehicle number, the vehicle numberinformation is not stored in the asset communicator databases 312 c, forexample, as the vehicles need not utilize such information.

TABLE 1 Vehicle Information Transaction Code Group ID Vehicle Number0173842 A4 372A7C* 0173843 A4 382B2G* 0173844 A5 382B2G* *Not stored inasset communicator database

TABLE 2 includes datasets having operator (employee) number,password/PIN, and group ID data elements. As indicated, the group ID'smatch the group ID's provided in the vehicle database of TABLE 1. Forexample, group “A5” is associated with operator number “00050” has apassword of “871734”. As indicated in TABLE 1, operator “00050” may haveaccess to vehicle “382B2G”. Each dataset stored in the operator databasealso includes a transaction code. As shown, the transaction codes forthe operator database are independent of the transaction codes for thevehicle database (TABLE 1).

TABLE 2 Operator Information Operator Transaction Code (Employee) NumberPassword/PIN Group ID 0024187 03421 781242 A4 0024188 00050 871734 A50024189 00279 473892 A4

TABLE 3 is the group database that provides authorization based onvarious parameters for the groups to utilize the vehicles associatedtherewith. The group database includes group ID (to provide relation toTABLES 1 and 2), days, times, and locations. Again, a transaction codeis associated with each dataset for synchronization purposes within thedifferent databases (e.g., databases 312 a, 312 b, and 312 c). As shown,members of group “A4” are authorized to operate vehicles between Mondayand Friday during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., (i.e., 0800-1700)in locations “L8” and “L17”. It should be understood that while multipledatabases may be utilized to form relations between the data (e.g.,group information database provides a relationship between the operatorand vehicle information databases), that less-relational databases(e.g., each operator and vehicle pair may be stored in one database) maybe utilized to perform the same or similar functionality. However, theuse of relational databases allows the system to (i) limit the amount ofdata communicated across the communication links 117 and 130, and (ii)simplify the process of associating vehicles and operators. For example,if a new vehicle is added to a fleet of vehicles, then the supervisormay simply add the vehicle to a group rather than having to assignindividual operators to the vehicle directly.

TABLE 3 Group Information Transaction Authorization Code Group ID DaysTimes Locations 0047184 A4 Mon-Fri 0800-1700 L8, L17 0047185 A5 Mon-Sat1500-2300 L9, L17, L20 0047186 A6 Sun-Thu 2300-0700 L3, L8, L19

The information on stored in the databases may be generated, edited,and/or deleted by an operator of the supervisor interface 205, and maybe maintained by the database engine 210. For each creation, edit, anddeletion, a transaction code may be assigned thereto. Alternatively, atime-stamp may be assigned to the information. However, by utilizing atransaction code, memory requirements may be reduced. The databases maybe maintained separately or integrated into a single database asunderstood in the art. The datasets stored in the databases arethereafter downloaded from the management computer network 115 to thewireless infrastructure unit 225 and, ultimately, the assetcommunicators 120 as discussed with regard FIGS. 3 and 6A.

The asset communicators 120 in the cell 111 of the local monitor 110 ofthe wireless infrastructure unit 225 receive each dataset that istransmitted from the wireless infrastructure unit 225. However, theasset communicators 120 parse the datasets received from the wirelessinfrastructure 120 based on vehicle number, as understood in the art.For example, from the vehicle database (TABLE 1), vehicle number“372A7C” receives the information associated with transaction code“0173842” having a group identifier of “A4”. Any data record thereafterreceived being associated with group identifier “A4” is received andstored and/or updated by the vehicle “372A7C”. For example, from theoperator database (TABLE 2), transactions “0024187” and “0024189”, andinformation associated therewith are stored by the asset communicator120. Additionally, from the group database (TABLE 3), the dataset havingtransaction code “0047184” is stored and/or updated in the assetcommunicator 120.

Once the asset communicators are updated by the datasets received,operators of the assets 105 may only access the asset communicators 120and utilize the vehicles associated therewith by having their operatornumber and password accepted by the asset communicator 120. In otherwords, a potential operator unauthorized to access the asset 105 isunable to start the asset 105 if not authorized by a supervisor of theasset 105 by downloading access data to the asset 105 to provide accessrights for the potential operator.

Because the asset communicator 120 is intelligent and unrequired to haveaccess to the management computer network 115, an asset 105 that doesnot have a communication link to the wireless infrastructure unit 225and management computer network 115 still is operable by an operator.Therefore, the utilization of the assets 105 is unaffected bycommunication outages and out-of-range situations for the assets 105 tobe operated. Thus, a robust wireless communication and asset managementsystem is provided.

Also, since the intelligent asset communicator 120 may have a userinterface, including a keypad 332 and display 333, an authorizedoperator can directly modify the authorization database stored on theasset communicator using the keypad and display. For example, anauthorized operator may permit another operator to use the asset 105 bytyping the identification number of the other operator directly into theasset communicator 120.

In addition to the access control allowing an operator to turn on theasset, the access control also allows for turning off the asset based onlocation and time. Because the asset communicator 120 is intelligent,the asset communicator does not shut down the asset while in use and inmotion, for example. Rather, the asset communicator 120 determines whena “significant” stop has occurred (e.g., the vehicle has stopped for apredetermined period of time), and the asset 105 is disabled by theasset communicator 120.

In addition to the asset communicator 120 being capable of taking actionbased on access control, the asset communicator 120 and/or wirelessinfrastructure device 225 may provide access to unauthorized operatorsbased on business rules. For example, if the asset 105 becomesout-of-range for an extended period of time, the asset communicator 120may provide access to a select number or any operator as the assetcommunicator 120 may consider that a communication problem exists (e.g.,receiver failure). In the case of the wireless infrastructure device 225not receiving communications from the management computing system 302over an extended period, the wireless infrastructure device 225 maydiscontinue broadcasting data as it may be assumed that some or all ofthe data stored by the wireless infrastructure device 225 is invalid.

To summarize the access control process, FIG. 11 is an exemplary flowdiagram for determining and providing authorization of an asset for anoperator utilizing the robust wireless communications system of FIGS. 3and 6A. The process starts at step 1102. At step 1104, an operatoridentifier is received via at least one of a variety of input devices,including, but not limited to, a keypad 332, card reader, memory chipreader, barcode scanner, wireless receiver, and biometric scanner. Itshould be understood that a password may also be received depending uponthe business and/or security requirements. At step 1106, a groupidentifier associated with the operator identifier is determinedutilizing the database(s) stored in the asset communicator 120. Adetermination is made at step 1108 as to whether the operator isauthorized to utilize the asset based on the group identifier. At step1110, a determination is made as to whether authorization to the asset105 is granted based on the group, time of day, day of week, and/orlocation, for example. If authorization is granted, then the processends at step 1112. Otherwise, the process returns to step 1104 toreceive a new operator identifier.

Distributed Wireless System Behavior Control

The robust wireless communications system 100 c may have system behavioraltered in a distributed manner. The system parameters may be utilizedto control a wide variety of functions of the wireless infrastructureunit 225 and asset communicators 120. In general, a generic wirelesscommunications system may be provided to a customer, and the customermay alter the system parameters to customize the system according todesires and needs.

FIG. 12 is an exemplary flow diagram 1200 describing altering of systemparameters for the robust wireless communications system of FIG. 3. Theprocess starts at step 1202. At step 1204, the wireless infrastructureunit 225 receives altered system behavior parameters. The systembehavior parameters may include data transmission rates, access controlrules, screen behavior, keypad behavior, power modes, and scheduling ofcommunication, for example. The system parameters may be utilized in thewireless infrastructure unit 225 for communicating to the assetcommunicators 120 or may be downloaded to the asset communicators 120utilizing the communication technique of FIG. 4 to alter operationalbehavior. The changes may affect different asset communicatorsdifferently, unless a universal command is desired.

At step 1206, an identifier is applied to the altered system behaviorparameter(s) to form a dataset. As discussed with regard to thedatabases, the identifier may be a transaction code utilized to indicatea temporal relationship between edits made to other system behaviorparameters. The dataset may be stored in a system behavior parameterdatabase on the management computer network 115 and downloaded to thewireless infrastructure unit 225 as discussed hereinabove. At step 1208,the dataset is transmitted to the asset communicators 120 for alteringoperational behavior of the asset communicator(s) 120. It should beunderstood, however, that the system behavior parameters may be directedtoward the wireless infrastructure unit 225 and not the assetcommunicators 120, and therefore are not communicated to the assetcommunicators 120. The process ends at step 1210.

To alter the system behavior parameters, the system administratorinterface 220 may be utilized rather than the supervisor interface 205.By utilizing the system administrator interface 220, a systemadministrator, who does not perform supervisory duties over the assets105 or operators, is able to make the changes to the system parametersfor controlling functionality of the wireless infrastructure unit 225and asset communicators 120.

A general concept that the robust wireless communications system 100 cis capable of providing is the ability to perform actions based onbusiness rules being violated. A supervisor may define business rulesthat, upon being violated by an asset, operator, supervisor, supervisorycomputer, for example, trigger one or more events by at least onecomponent of the system. And, because each of the components (e.g.,management computing system 302, wireless infrastructure device 225, andasset communicator 120) are capable of making decisions, one or more ofthe components, individually or in combination, are capable oftriggering event(s). For example, if a forklift 105 enters anunauthorized area of a facility, the associated asset communicator 120may (i) shut down the forklift 105, and (ii) communicate a message tothe wireless infrastructure device 225, which, in turn, may command allor some forklifts 105 in the area to be shut down. Additionally, themessage may be received by the management computing system 302 and asystem-wide message may be communicated to some or all assetcommunicators 120. And, because the asset communicator 120 is capable ofmaking decisions, actions may be taken independent of the communicationlink 130 being established. It should be understood that the businessrules may be varied depending on the system requirements, businessfunctions being solved, and creativity of the system operators.

Vehicle Utilization Monitoring

The robust wireless communications system 100 b provides the ability toperform vehicle utilization monitoring in an event driven manner due tothe asset communicators 120 being intelligent (i.e., having an on-boardprocessor and associated software). Vehicle utilization relates to howthe vehicle is utilized as attributed to an operator, for example. Otherassociated parameters, such as location, shift, etc., may be utilized.TABLE 4 provides an exemplary dataset of utilization parameters for theasset 105 that are measured using sensors in combination with the assetcommunicator 120 and associated software. It should be understood thatthe parameters are exemplary and that others may be utilized dependingon the particular asset associated with the asset communicator 120. Forexample, a fixed asset utilizes different parameters than a mobile asset105, and different mobile asset types may have different parameters.

TABLE 4 Vehicle Utilization Information Segment Number Transaction CodeVehicle Number Start Time End Time Operator ID Log-out Method GlobalMotion Time Global Engine idle Time Session Motion time Session LiftTime Session Engine idle Time Session Number of Impacts Current Fuellevel Current Odometer Reading Battery ID Session Number of Starts/StopsBattery Level

The vehicle utilization monitoring according to the principles of thepresent invention is event driven. One embodiment utilizes the events ofan operator logging on and logging off of the asset communicator 120.FIG. 13 is an exemplary flow diagram 1300 for the asset communicator tostart and stop utilization monitoring as utilized on the robust wirelesssystem of FIGS. 3 and 6B (uplink). The process starts at step 1302. Atstep 1304, an event start is received an operator logging onto the assetcommunicator 120. At step 1306, data counters are initialized for theparticular operator. The asset communicator 120 may (i) record lifetimeor global counters, such as motion time and engine idle time, for theasset 105, and (ii) reset or initialize session counters, such as motiontime, lift time, engine idle time, number of impacts, number of starts,and battery level.

At step 1308, data is collected by the asset communicator 120 for atleast the global and session counters. At step 1310, the collected datais accumulated. In accumulating the data, both raw data and summary databased on the raw data may be generated. At step 1312, a determinationmay be made as to whether an event stop has occurred. The event stop maybe initiated by the operator logging off of the asset communicator 120.Alternatively, an event start and stop may be generated by apredetermined time period, such as a 24-hour time period (i.e., atmidnight), so as to generate utilization data for each and every timeperiod. Additionally, in the case of the asset communicator 120 becomingidle, the event start is triggered from a logout and event stop istriggered from a logon. If an event stop has not occurred, then theprocess continues to collect data at step 1308. Otherwise, at step 1314,the collected data is stored for the global and/or session counters. Asdiscussed in relation to FIG. 6B, a transaction type specifier andtransaction code may be included in the dataset. It should be understoodthat other information may be collected and stored by the assetcommunicator 120 based on the same or different events. At step 1316,the stored data may be communicated from the asset communicator 120 tothe wireless infrastructure 202 using the process of FIG. 9. The processends at step 1318.

By summarizing the information based on events, the asset communicator120 may operate independent of the wireless infrastructure 202 andmanagement computer network 115. In other words, the asset communicator120 need not have an active communication link with the wirelessinfrastructure 202 to perform its intended business function, therebyproviding for a more robust asset management system. Additionally, byhaving the asset communicator 120 being able to perform its ownmonitoring (i.e., not merely transmitting the information to thewireless infrastructure in a “blind” manner), the amount of datacommunicated to the wireless infrastructure is greatly reduced.Moreover, because the asset communicator 120 summarizes the informationcollected during the session for the operator, the information becomesmore useful in terms of monitoring and tracking the asset 105 asutilized by the particular operator. The summary data may also be storedin the asset communicator 120 as discussed with regard to the operationof the robust wireless communications system 100 b until the assetcommunicator 120 forms an active asset communication link 130 with thewireless infrastructure 202. It should be understood that because theasset communicator 120 is capable of performing its own monitoring thatthe process of creating data is independent of the process oftransmitting data, which, again, allows the asset communicator 120 tooperate independent of the wireless infrastructure 202 and managementcomputer network 115. Also, data can be used to affect future decisions,like whether or not OSHA needs to be entered by next operator.

Asset Power Monitoring

FIG. 14 is an exemplary illustration 1400 of a mobile asset 105 having apower monitor for monitoring power usage according to FIG. 13. Bywirelessly monitoring power usage over time, trend analysis andreal-time monitoring of battery levels may be performed to provide asupervisor with visibility regarding battery operation and realization.As shown, the mobile asset 105 includes the asset communicator 120coupled thereto. The mobile asset 105 further includes a battery 1405coupled to a motor 1410 for driving the mobile asset 105. A power sensor1415, which may be either voltage or current, is coupled to terminals1417 a and 1417 b. One or more lines 1420 may couple the power sensor1415 to the asset communicator 120 that, in turn, converts an analogvoltage or current into a digital value indicative of the voltage levelof the battery 1405. Alternatively, an analog to digital conversion unit(not shown) may be electrically coupled between the power sensor 1415and asset communicator 120.

The asset power monitoring may further include in-line, tap-in, andcontactless current and voltage sensors affixed to different parts ofthe mobile asset 105 and connected via a cable to a logic board (notshown), which may or may not be part of the asset communicator 120.Currents may be converted to voltages by utilizing either a remotesensor or a converter, as understood in the art, located on the logicboard. The logic board converts the incoming voltage level to digitaldata. The asset communicator may use configurable settings, such asfilter time and voltage conversion factors, to determine, based on thedigital data, the meaning of the incoming signals. To set or change theconfigurable settings, manual, automatic, or event triggered processesmay be utilized. Typically, filtering may be utilized to filter the dataover a period of time, and compare the data to a threshold level. Thesensor data may be combined or utilized individually by the logic boardto monitor the utilization of the mobile asset 105. Upon the batterylevel dropping below the threshold level, an indicator, such as a visualor audible signal, may be provided by the asset communicator 120.

As in the case of vehicle utilization, the power information may bestored by the asset communicator 120 and communicated to the wirelessinfrastructure 202 using the communication technique of FIG. 9.Additionally, the power information may be event driven in that the datais determined based on an operator logging on and logging off of theasset communicator 120. A transaction type specifier and transactioncode may be applied to the power information based on the events. Itshould be understood that the process for communicating power usage dataof the mobile asset 105 may be the same or similar to that of the FIG.13. Alternatively, communicating power usage data of the mobile asset105 may be the same or similar to that of FIG. 16.

By monitoring the battery, a supervisor may determine how well a batteryis operating based on historical data. The supervisor also may be ableto determine misuse or disuse of the battery by an operator if thebattery is being charged too soon or being charged too late. In otherwords, if a battery is being prematurely charged or being “deep”discharged, the battery may become damaged and the supervisor may beable to disrupt such practices by the offending operator(s). Because theasset communicator 120 is intelligent, the asset communicator 120 may beable to actively control improper practices. The battery usage may bemonitored over time based on utilization of the assets 105 to determinewhether the battery is operating properly based on usage.

Asset Monitoring Analysis

A desire of any asset or fleet supervisor is to have aggregateinformation about the assets and have all information about the fleet orgroups/segments of the fleet without gaps in the information. Becausethe asset communicators 120 are capable of generating and storinginformation without having an active asset communication link 130 to thewireless infrastructure unit 225, utilization data of the assets arecollected without having gaps in the information. And, because the assetcommunicators 120 store the information based on events until an activeasset communication link 130 is established, information for the assetis not lost. In other words, the supervisor at some point in time hasutilization information for all assets in the fleet at any given pointin time. The supervisor interface 205 may execute a software program,such as the database engine 210, that accesses the databases 312 a-316a, for example, and generates aggregate information. For example, asupervisor may desire to know the number of vehicles being utilized oneach hour during the course of a particular day.

FIG. 15 is an exemplary chart 1500 indicating vehicle usage during thecourse of a 24-hour time period on the robust wireless communicationssystem of FIG. 3. As indicated, an aggregate of vehicles in use areprovided during the course of the day. At 2:00 p.m. (i.e., hour 14), 93vehicles were in use. As expected, the vehicles being utilizedsimultaneously during first shift are more than those being utilizedduring second and third shifts.

The combination of time and utilization from every vehicle in the fleetmay be used to make numerous determinations about vehicle fleetutilization both real-time and historically. It should be understoodthat the utilization information of the assets may be based on any ofthe utilization information generated and stored by the assetcommunicator 120. Accordingly, the information is uploaded from theasset communicator 120 to the wireless infrastructure unit 225 and themanagement computer network 115 according to FIG. 4. Such informationmay include in-use/unassigned, motion/idle, speed, etc. Because theutilization information is collected and accumulated, and/or summarizedbased on time, vehicle, and/or operator, a wide variety of aggregatedata may be generated by the supervisor. The robust wirelesscommunications system 100 c may further be utilized to determine thetotal number of different vehicle used each day, the maximum number ofsimultaneous vehicles used by group, and the total number of vehiclesused by the group. It should be understood that other aggregate data maybe collected and processed. The functional utility of the system isachieved by the fact that data collection is automated and wirelesslycommunicated.

Asset Location Monitoring

Another application that may be utilized on the robust wirelesscommunications system 100 c is asset location monitoring. Because theasset communicator 120 is intelligent, the asset communicator 120 iscapable of determining its own location based on signal(s) received bythe asset communicator 120. By having the asset communicators 120determine their own locations or positions, the computations aredistributed to the asset communicators 120, which reduces computationalrequirements for the management computing network 115 and bandwidthrequirements for the robust wireless communications system 100 c.

The signal(s) that are received by the asset communicators 120 may beeither terrestrial or satellite based. In the case of a terrestrialsignaling system, the asset communicators 120 may receive signals frommultiple local monitors 110 and perform a triangulation computation asunderstood in the art. In one embodiment, an averaging algorithm asunderstood in the art may be utilized to correlate the percentage ofmessages received over time from a local monitor 110 with relativedistances. In other words, if the asset communicator 120 receivestransmissions from one local monitor 110 during every transmission, andfrom another local monitor 110 during half of the transmissions, thenthe asset communicator 120 determines that it is closer to the firstlocal monitor 110 by an approximate percentage. The asset communicatormay use configurable settings, such as filter time and conversionfactors, to determine, based on the data, the meaning of the incomingsignals. To set or change the configurable settings, manual, automatic,or event triggered processes may be utilized. The combination of thesignals received from multiple local monitors with a current motionstatus of the asset communicator 120 also may be used to determine thelocation of the asset 105 (e.g., if the asset is not moving, the assetcommunicator knows that the RF readings cannot show the asset moving).In the case of utilizing satellite communication, a positioning system,such as the global positioning system (GPS), may be utilized. Othertechniques, such as signal strength, direction finding, anddead-reckoning, may also be utilized by the asset communicator todetermine location.

FIG. 16 represents an exemplary flow diagram 1600 for determining andcommunicating position of an asset utilizing the robust wirelesscommunications system of FIGS. 3-5 and 6B. The process starts at step1602. At this point, two processes operate in parallel (i.e., locationdetermination and location transmission processes).

At step 1604, communications signal(s) are received by a mobile wirelessdevice 120. The mobile wireless device 120 calculates the position ofthe associated asset 105 at step 1606. Information, such as motion/idlestatus, odometer/compass (e.g., dead-reckoning as understood in theart), or other sensory data, also may be utilized in calculating theposition of the asset. At step 1608, the position of the asset 105 isupdated in the mobile wireless device 120.

At step 1610, a determination is made as to whether the asset is inmotion. If the asset is in motion, then at step 1612, a wait time is setto n-seconds. Otherwise, at step 1614, if the asset is idle, the waittime is set to m-seconds. At step 1616, the position of the asset, asdetermined at step 1608, is stored by the mobile wireless device 120 ina location database as provided in TABLE 5.

TABLE 5 Vehicle Location Information Transaction Type SpecifierTransaction Code Vehicle Number Driver ID Current Location Start TimeOperator ID Current Time Location Reading Engine State Battery Level

TABLE 5 is an exemplary list of data elements stored in an assetlocation database on the asset communicator 120. As shown, a transactiontype specifier, transaction code, vehicle number, driver ID, currentlocation start time, current time, location readings, engine state, andbattery level may be stored in the asset location database.Additionally, the vehicle location information may include a utilizationstatus of the vehicle. In one embodiment, the current driver ID mayitself provide the utilization status, whereby if the current driver IDis not specified (e.g., −1), then the vehicle is identified as beingunutilized. Each time that location of the asset is stored, atransaction code may be assigned to form a dataset. And, by associatingasset location with vehicle number and driver ID, the supervisor of therobust wireless communications system may determine an operatorutilizing a particular vehicle at any given point in time or determinethe location of vehicles that are unutilized at any given point in time.

The data of TABLE 5 is communicated from the mobile wireless device 120to the wireless infrastructure 202 at step 1618 as provided by thecommunication process of FIGS. 6B and 9. In other words, the positiondata may be stored by the mobile wireless device 120 for an indefiniteperiod of time based on the communication link status with the wirelessinfrastructure 202, thereby providing for a substantially continuousposition tracking system. The process ends at step 1620. As shown, thelocation determination process is continuous (i.e., after step 1608),and the location communication process repeats upon storage of theposition data at step 1616.

The wait times for an asset that is idle or stationary may be set to avery long time period (e.g., once per hour), and an asset that is inmotion may have a shorter wait time, such as once per two seconds, forexample. Alternatively, wait time may be independent of motion status ofthe asset. The wait times are system parameters that may be altered bythe system administrator. It should be understood that in the event thatan operator logs into the mobile wireless device 120, that the wait timemay be automatically updated such that the mobile wireless device 120determines its position at the shorter wait time (i.e., higher frequencyrate). It should also be understood that the storage of the position ofthe asset in the mobile wireless device 120 of step 1616 may beperformed based on the wait time. By storing the location information atlower frequency rates, the memory of the mobile wireless device 120 isless apt to be filled during periods of the asset 105 being idle. Also,because the asset communicator 120 is continuously determining itslocation, if the associated asset 105 moves to a specific area, such ascell 111, between intervals, the asset communicator 120 may communicateor take other actions, such as shutting down the asset 105. For example,if a forklift enters a classified area of a factory (regardless of thewait time), the asset communicator 120 may shut down the forklift andcommunicate an alert message to the supervisor.

OSHA Compliance

The robust wireless communications system 100 c provides for OSHAcompliance with regard to the vehicle safety checklist information atthe vehicle to keep an automatic record of safety checklists andidentify safety issues. The asset communicators 120 allow checklistinformation to be customized by vehicle, and allows for the informationto be updated wirelessly and automatically. The wireless communicator120 allows an operator to answer the OSHA questions (e.g., operationalstatus of a vehicle) independent of the asset communicator 120 being inactive communication with the wireless infrastructure 202. In otherwords, the OSHA related questions may be answered when out-of-range ofthe wireless infrastructure and the answers may be communicated with thewireless infrastructure 202 upon the asset communicator 120re-establishing a communication link with the wireless infrastructure202.

The OSHA compliance system is bi-directional in that downlink and uplinkcommunication is utilized to provide the questions and receive theresponses. A supervisor may utilize the supervisor interface 205 to (i)generate lists of OSHA questions and possible responses, and (ii)associate each asset with the appropriate list of OSHA questions. TABLE6A contains the specific OSHA questions and possible responses for eachquestion list. Each asset may be associated with the appropriate list ofOSHA questions using the data in TABLE 6B. As shown in TABLE 6B, thevehicle profile information may include vehicle type, vehicle number,and question list number, for example. Additionally, a transaction codemay be stored with each dataset as entered and/or amended for the OSHAquestions list details and vehicle OSHA question list information. And,because the database is relational, the questions may be specificallytargeted toward a vehicle type and/or vehicle number.

TABLE 6A OSHA Question list Details Transaction Type SpecifierTransaction Code Question List Number Question Number Question Text(e.g., “Horn operational?”) Response Text (e.g., “Yes”, “No”) ResponseSeverity (e.g., “Normal”, “Critical”)

TABLE 6B Vehicle Profile Information Transaction Type SpecifierTransaction Code Vehicle Number Vehicle Type Question List Number ImpactThreshold Low Battery Threshold Vehicle Specific Behavior

On the downlink side, once the OSHA question databases are formed, thedatasets may be downloaded to asset communicators 120 utilizing therobust wireless communications system and download protocol of FIGS. 4and 6A for synchronization of the OSHA question list for the assetcommunicators 120. Each asset communicator 120 stores the OSHA questionsof TABLE 6A associated with the question list number of TABLE 6Bassociated with the vehicle number and/or vehicle type. If the questionlist number is updated for the asset communicator 120 associated with aparticular vehicle number/vehicle type, then the asset communicator 120updates and/or replaces the OSHA questions with the updated set ofquestions associated with the updated question list number.

If a hierarchical question list is utilized, then questions of TABLE 6Aassociated with the question group number of TABLE 6B may be associatedwith the vehicle type or associated with a question trigger and/orresponse action that is valid for the associated vehicle type. It shouldbe understood that the question lists may be assigned and/or associatedwith individual assets, asset types (e.g., fork lifts), individualoperators, groups of operators, events, conditions, or any other datarelated to the assets 105 or operators of the assets 105. The assignmentprocess may be performed by designating an identifier in one databaseand utilizing the same identifier in a second database to form arelation therebetween as understood in the art.

The uplink communication follows the protocol of FIGS. 4 and 6B forperforming synchronization of the responses from operators answering theOSHA questions. Again, upon the asset communicator 120 establishing acommunication link to the wireless infrastructure 202, the datasetsstored by the asset communicator 120 are transmitted from the assetcommunicator 120 to the wireless infrastructure 202. The supervisor mayutilize the supervisor interface 205 to review and monitor results ofthe OSHA questions.

FIG. 17A is an exemplary flow diagram 1700 for performing the OSHAcompliance utilizing the robust wireless communications system of FIGS.3, 6A and 6B. The process starts at step 1702. At step 1704, anauthorized operator identifier is received by the asset communicator120. At step 1706, question(s) related to operational status of themobile asset 105 may be prompted independent of an active assetcommunication link 130 between the asset communicator 120 and wirelessinfrastructure unit 225. Additionally, the asset communicator may usepreviously stored responses to the OSHA questions to limit the promptingof questions. For example, depending on the OSHA requirements, thechecklist only may be required for every new operator, once per shift,once per every 24 hours, etc. Also, the OSHA questions may be promptedhaving a predetermined duration between each prompt to encourage anoperator to properly inspect the asset 105 rather than simply assumingthe answer. Therefore, because the asset communicator 120 is intelligentand is capable of storing data therein, OSHA compliance may be performedin accordance with specifications of a given business. Therefore, theasset communicator 120 may not prompt questions for answers if notrequired at that time. Additionally, based on certain conditions (e.g.,mileage) of the asset 105, a different checklist may be prompted on theasset communicator 120. At step 1708, responses to the questions arereceived by the asset communicator 120. The responses may be enteredusing a keypad, touch screen, or verbal input (if the asset communicator120 utilizes voice recognition software), for example. At step 1710, theresponses to the questions are stored by the asset communicator 120. Theresponses may be communicated at step 1712 using the communicationtechnique of FIG. 9. At step 1714, the process ends.

In addition to the questions being answered by the operator, differentquestions may be associated with different levels of severity as definedin TABLE 6A. The levels of severity may be determined by systemparameters maintained by a supervisor. Upon a question being answered ina certain way, different results may occur. For example, if the answerto the question of whether the headlights are working is negative, thenthe asset communicator may perform an immediate action in shutting downthe associated mobile asset 105 or performing another action such asentering a low-speed mode or turning on a siren or light. A lessimmediate action may result in an event occurring based on a particularanswer. For example, a negative response to the question of whether theheadlights work may result in an e-mail, page, or other notificationbeing communicated to the management computer network 115 to indicatethat maintenance is required for the particular mobile asset to whichthe asset communicator 120 is coupled.

Still yet, because the components (e.g., management computing system302, wireless infrastructure device 202, and asset communicator 120) ofthe robust wireless communications system 100 c are each capable ofmaking decisions, any of the components individually or combined maydetermine that responses to the OSHA questions have not been answered ina timely manner (i.e., a business rule has been violated). If such anevent occurs, action may be taken by one or more of the components. Forexample, if a response to an OSHA question or questions is not receivedby an asset communicator 120, then the asset communicator 120 may shutdown the vehicle, notify the supervisor of the non-responsive operator,and/or generate a visual and/or audible display, such as a light orsiren. Additionally, the management computing system 302 may communicatea message to all or some of the assets 105 that prevents thenon-responsive operator from having access thereto. Additionally, thesupervisor may receive a message, page, or e-mail indicating thenon-responsiveness of the operator.

Conventional checklists, including paper and electronic checklists,typically utilize a single checklist that is to be completed from thefirst question to the last. While the checklists may change over time,only one checklist exists at any given time on each asset 105. Thechecklist may be different on each type of asset 105, but is not relatedto the specific operator utilizing the asset 105.

To make the checklists more business flexible, hierarchical questionlists may be utilized to obtain more specific information in a moreflexible way than can be obtained from conventional checklists. Ratherthan a fixed, sequential list, the hierarchical list permits changing ofquestions, based on responses, operators, or other vehicle or date-basedconditions. For example, two different types of operators using the sameasset 105 may be presented with different checklists. Additionally,should one response signify an issue that requires clarification,additional, more detailed questions may be asked of the operator.Alternatively, if the same response does not need more clarification,then either no or different questions may be asked of the operator.Further, if the asset (e.g., lift truck) is in a specific location orencounters an impact, a new checklist may be displayed.

FIG. 17B is an exemplary block diagram 1720 for integrating a checklistdatabase 1722 and event/trigger database 1724 into the relationaldatabases of FIG. 10. By using relational databases, the flexibility ofthe checklists may be increased as a function of the information storedin the vehicle database 1005, operator database 1010, group database1015, event/trigger database 1724, or any combination thereof.

The robust wireless communications system 100 c enables creation andmanagement of the hierarchical questions. The infrastructure forcreating the questions hereby enables these hierarchical questions. Inone such implementation, software, as understood in the art, executed bythe supervisor interface 205 of the management computer system 115,permits the administrator to designate the question text, the responseoption text, and response option actions. Response option actions mayinclude: proceed to next question, branch to question N, end checklist,and deactivate vehicle, for example. Such response actions permit atree-like structure for the checklist questions.

The software further permits the creation of numerous such checklists,where each checklist is associated with a vehicle type and/or operatortype. Alternatively, the checklist may be associated with avehicle-identified condition. By assigning a checklist to an equipmenttype or single piece of equipment, the equipment is designated to askthe single checklist to any operator. By assigning a checklist to anoperator type or single operator, the same checklist is presented to theoperator regardless of the equipment operated. By assigning thechecklist to a combination of equipment and operator types, differentoperators on the same vehicle may be presented with differentchecklists. By assigning a checklist to a condition, the vehicle can askquestions when certain events take place, including, but not limited to,certain dates or times, certain locations, after an impact is detected,when battery voltage is low, or when a monitored meter level reaches athreshold. In one embodiment, the assignment of the check list may beperformed by selecting from a list of assignments (e.g., operator groupor asset type).

In the event of an assigned condition occurring, for example, when abattery voltage is low, a checklist can ask ‘Did you notice that thebattery is low?’ with responses: ‘Yes, but I'm busy’, ‘No—I'll rechargeit now’, ‘Yes—but it is OK’. Alternatively, after an impact, an operatormay be asked, ‘Did the recent impact create damage?’ with responses:‘Yes’ and ‘No’. After a certain amount of motor hours is recorded on theequipment, the question ‘Please bring vehicle in for maintenance’ may beasked, with responses: ‘Not now’ and ‘OK’.

FIG. 17C is an exemplary tree structure 1730 representative of aquestion list that may be utilized by the asset communicators 120 to askquestions directed to OSHA or for other purposes. In downloading thequestion lists to the asset communicators 120, the robust wirelesscommunications system 100 c is used to transfer pertinent questions andresponse text and actions to each asset communicator 120 associated withthe assets 105, whereby only checklists relevant to the particular typeof assets are stored on the associated asset communicator 120.Alternatively, asset communicators 120 may store multiple checklists ifeach checklist is defined to be associated with particular types ofassets 105.

In order to provide the questions by operator type, the assetcommunicator 120 collects the operator identifier from the operatorutilizing the asset 105. If the defined checklists of the asset 105include operator-related questions, then, in one embodiment, theprocessor 328 of the asset communicator 120 determines the specificchecklist or checklists to ask the operator for OSHA compliance or otherbusiness purposes. The operator may interface with the checklist via thedisplay 333 and/or keypad 332 to answer questions. The checklist may bepresented in a graphical user interface (GUI) format or text basedformat. If a GUI format is utilized, then selection menus may bepresented for the operator to select an answer. In response to theoperator selecting answers to the questions of the checklist, anappropriate action is processed by the processor 328 to proceed topresenting the subsequent question and responses. As shown, for example,Question N may have multiple alternative responses (i.e., Response 1,Response 2, . . . , Response X). Based on the response, a specificresponse action may be taken. The response action may be predetermined,but alternatively may be altered during operation of the asset based ontime and/or location, for example. The same questions (e.g., QuestionN+1), alternative questions (e.g., Question N+1 or Question M), or noquestions may be followed by the response action in response to theoperator answering the questions.

For each response, the specific question and response identifier arestored and/or transmitted to the wireless infrastructure 202 andmanagement computing system 302. In one embodiment, the assetcommunicator 120 stores each response in internal memory until the finalchecklist question is asked, as determined by a response action‘end-of-checklist’. Once the first checklist is complete, if a secondchecklist is relevant, due to the operator, vehicle or vehiclecondition, it may be presented in the same manner as the firstchecklist. In response to the question/response combinations beingstored, the information may be uploaded via the robust wirelesscommunications system 100 c to the database (e.g., database 316 a) forstorage and further analysis utilizing the communications of FIG. 4. Inanother embodiment, each response is transferred immediately to thewireless infrastructure 202 utilizing the communications of FIG. 5 andthe next question may be transferred back to the asset communicator 120of the asset 105 for presentation.

Two-Way Text Messaging

Two-way text messaging may be utilized on the robust wirelesscommunications system of 100 c in accordance with the communicationtechnique of FIGS. 4, 6A, 6B, and 9. As suggested, the two-way textmessaging is both a downlink and uplink communication technique thatallows a message to be communicated to any vehicle, operator, group, orall assets. Each message may be associated with a set of responsescommunicated therewith. The receiver of the message may select one ormore responses and communicate the responses back to the issuer of themessage. Status information, such as time of receipt, time that themessage is read, time of each response, and time when message isdeleted, may also be communicated to the issuer. Two-way text messagingfurther may be used to set work instructions or other dispatchinformation to an operator of the asset 125. One exemplary use oftwo-way messaging includes warehouse management instructions.Additionally, the two-way text messaging may be used for the operator tocommunicate responses to the supervisor issuing the messages. Whiletwo-way text messaging may be performed utilizing the robust wirelesscommunications system 100 c, one-way text messaging or paging may alsobe performed on the system. As understood in the art, one-way textmessaging does not require that information be communicated back to thedevice that issues the one-way text message.

FIG. 18 is an exemplary flow diagram 1800 providing a process forperforming the two-way messaging on the robust wireless communicationssystem 100 c. The process starts at step 1802. At step 1804, a textmessage is received via the downlink communication process of FIG. 6A.The mobile wireless device 120 only stores text messages associated withthe vehicle number, current operator, or group identifier. All broadcasttext messages are stored. Other related message status information, suchas time of receipt, may be stored. At step 1806, the message is promptedon the mobile wireless device 120 on the display 333 independent of anactive communication link between the mobile wireless device 120.Typically, an operator uses the keypad 332 and display 333 to read thecontents of the text message and view the optional responses. The timethat the text message is read may additionally be stored. At step 1808,the operator may respond to the text message, and the response and otherrelated message status information may be stored at step 1810. Theoperator may respond multiple times to the same text message.Additionally, actions may be executed by the mobile wireless device 120based on the response(s) to the text messages. For example, a responseto a text message may cause the mobile wireless device 120 to shut offthe associated asset. At step 1812, the stored data is communicatedusing the communication technique of FIG. 9. Once the responses andstatus data are stored in the management computing system database 312a, a supervisor may view the data using the supervisor interface 205.

Battery Monitoring and Charging

A battery monitoring and charging application is capable of utilizingthe robust wireless communications system 100 c. Two concepts exist forthe battery monitoring, including: (i) notification to the operator thatthe battery voltage level is low, and (ii) notification as to (a) whichcharger to mount the battery and (b) which charged battery to install inthe asset.

Regarding the first concept (i.e., notification to the operator of lowbattery voltage), the battery monitoring and charging applicationprovides information to an operator of a vehicle to which a battery iscoupled, and utilizes both the downlink and uplink aspects of the robustwireless communications system 100 c. Additionally, the communicationtechniques of FIGS. 4, 5, 6A, and 6B may be utilized.

In the downlink direction, the supervisor may set a low threshold value,such as 10.7 volts, for the battery voltage by utilizing the supervisorinterface 205. The low threshold value is a system parameter that isdownloaded to the asset communicator 120 using data from TABLE 6B andthe downlink techniques of FIG. 4.

Referring now to FIG. 19, an exemplary flow chart 1900 provides aprocess for measuring battery voltage of an asset utilizing the robustwireless communications system of FIGS. 3 and 6B. The process starts atstep 1902. At step 1904, a voltage level of a battery utilized by theasset is measured. The voltage level may be measured by the assetcommunicator 120 or by an external measuring device. Further, thevoltage level may be measured at the battery or remotely (i.e., atanother location within the asset and electrically coupled to thebattery).

At step 1906, a dataset, including a voltage level and identifier (e.g.,vehicle identifier) of the asset, is formed based on the thresholdvoltage level being surpassed. Additionally, the dataset may includedata elements provided in TABLE 7, including a transaction code that istemporal with respect to other related datasets, transaction typespecifier, event time, driver ID, asset assignment status, batterythreshold, and location reading. A visual and/or audible indicator maybe used to notify the operator of the vehicle that the battery level islow. The operator may respond to the indicator utilizing the process ofFIG. 20, discussed hereinafter. The dataset is stored at step 1908, andcommunicated at step 1910 in accordance with the communication techniqueof FIG. 9. The process ends at step 1912.

TABLE 7 Low Battery Information Transaction Type Specifier TransactionCode Vehicle Number Event Time Driver ID Assignment Status Battery LevelBattery Threshold Location Reading

Referring now to FIG. 20, an exemplary flow diagram 2000 provides for aprocess of changing the battery with a charged battery utilizing therobust wireless communications system of FIGS. 3-5, 6A, and 6B. Theprocess starts at step 2002. The operator of the asset 105 issues anotice to the asset communicator 120, utilizing the keypad 332, forexample, that the associated battery should be changed with a chargedbattery. A message may be communicated from the asset communicator 120to the management computing system 302 using the immediate messagingtechnique of FIG. 5. At this point, the management computing system maydetermine the appropriate replacement battery and charging station forthe discharged battery to be placed. At step 2004, a message or noticemay be received by the asset communicator 120 from the managementcomputing system 302 using the immediate messaging technique of FIG. 5.The message may include: (i) replace battery, (ii) specific batterycharger to mount the discharged battery, and (iii) specific chargedbattery to install into the asset 105.

Referring now to FIG. 21, a typical working environment 2100 is providefor a mobile asset 105 utilizing the robust wireless communicationssystem of FIG. 3. As shown, the mobile asset 105 includes the assetcommunicator 120 and a battery 2105 a for operating the mobile asset105. Upon the operator receiving the message via the asset communicator120, the operator removes the battery 2105 a and replaces it with acharged battery, such as a charged battery 2105 b or 2105 c mounted on abattery charger station 2110 as indicated by the message. The batterycharger station 2110 may include a battery voltage monitor device (notshown) as understood in the art to monitor battery voltage of thebatteries being charged. A local monitor 110 may be coupled to thebattery voltage monitor device to communicate status of batteries beingcharged to the management computer network 115 so that the managementcomputer network 115 may maintain the status of all batteries beingutilized by the assets 105.

Referring again to FIG. 20, at step 2006, the battery 2105 a is mountedto the battery charger specified by the message. At step 2008, thecharged battery 2105 b, for example, indicated by the message isinstalled into the mobile asset 105. The asset communicator 120 furthermay prompt the operator to verify that the battery is successfullychanged as instructed. If the operator is unable to change the batteryas instructed, then the operator may override the instructions byentering (i) which battery charger station the discharged battery wasplaced, (ii) which charged battery was placed into the mobile asset 105,and/or (iii) a message indicating other occurrences in changing thebattery. A swap confirmation message may be stored by the assetcommunicator 120 and communicated to the wireless infrastructure 202using the communication technique of FIG. 9. The process ends at step2010.

Impact Monitoring

FIG. 22 is a top view of an exemplary mobile asset 105 capable ofmeasuring impact of the mobile asset 105. To measure impact, impactsensors 2202 x and 2202 y (e.g., accelerometers) are mounted to themobile asset 105 and electrically coupled via the wires 2204 to theasset communicator 120 associated with the mobile asset 105. As shown,the impact sensor 2202 x is oriented in the x-axis direction, and theimpact sensor 2202 y is oriented in the y-axis direction. By utilizingmultiple sensors having different axes of orientation, the assetcommunicator 120 is capable of receiving impact signals from the impactsensors 2202 x and 2202 y, and determining the level, duration,waveform, and angle of impact. It should be understood that the axes oforientation for the sensors 2202 x and 2202 y may be different and thatthe asset communicator 120 may be programmed to compute the level andangle of impact based on the orientations as understood in the art. Itshould be further understood that other impact sensors may be orientedin different orientations (e.g., z-axis) and utilized to measure impactsfrom different directions (e.g., vertical).

FIG. 23 is an exemplary flow diagram 2300 for monitoring for an impactto the mobile asset 105 of FIG. 22. The process starts at step 2302. Atstep 2304, an impact between the mobile asset 105 and another objectoccurs, and impact signals having different axes of orientation arereceived. The impact sensors 2202 x and 2202 y may be position,velocity, acceleration, force, and/or impact sensors. The signalsgenerated from the impact sensors 2202 x and 2202 y may provideparameters to the asset communicator 120 for computing the g-force ofimpact or any other relevant impact parameter, including duration,waveform, and profile of impact, which may be utilized to distinguish atrue impact from a bump.

At step 2306, the time of receipt of the impact signals are determined.In the case of utilizing the impact information to alert a rescuer, forexample, the time of receipt of the impact may be important in terms ofrescue efforts. The time may also be critical in replaying thehistorical locations of assets at the time of the impact. At step 2308,the level and angle of the impact may be determined based on the impactsignals. The angle of impact may be computed by a software programoperating in the asset communicator 120 or management computing system302, where the software program may convert the impact levels receivedin Cartesian coordinates (i.e., x, y values) to polar coordinates (i.e.,r, θ values) to produce magnitude and angle of impact as understood inthe art. At step 2310, information of the impact, including time, impactlevel, impact duration, impact profile, and impact angle, may be storedas a dataset. The process ends at step 2312.

TABLE 8 provides an exemplary list of parameters that may be stored withthe dataset in an impact database. As discussed with regard to therobust wireless communications system 100 c, a transaction code may begenerated and stored with the dataset. Because the asset communicator120 has other various pertinent information for impact analysis, such asdriver ID, assignment status of the mobile asset 105, impact threshold(system parameter), engine state, and location, other relevantinformation may be included on the dataset. Of course, any other datastored or determinable by the asset communicator 120 may be included inthe dataset.

TABLE 8 Impact Information Transaction Code Vehicle Number Event TimeDriver ID Assigned? Impact Level Impact Angle Impact Thresholds EngineState Location Reading

The dataset may be communicated from the asset communicator 120 to thewireless infrastructure unit 225 using the communication technique ofFIG. 9. Because impact of a mobile asset 105 may involve personalinjury, real-time communication may be important, so the immediatecommunication technique of FIG. 5 may be utilized to inform authorities.Receipt of the page by the management computer system 115 may trigger anotification to local authorities via a paging message, e-mail, ortelephone call. An impact may be considered a violation of a businessrule and trigger one or more events, such as preventing the operatorinvolved in the impact from accessing the same or other vehicles. Theasset communicator may also (i) shut down the vehicle, (ii) put thevehicle into a creeper mode so that vehicle may be moved if necessary,but not used as normal, or (iii) turn on a signal such as a light orsiren. The dataset may provide the supervisor or authorities withinformation for reconstruction of the impact. For example, if acollision occurs between two monitored assets, then the cause of thecollision may be determined by the data generated from both assetcommunicators 120. One scenario may include an unutilized vehiclerecording an impact with a vehicle that is being driven by an identifiedoperator.

Maintenance Monitoring

Scheduled maintenance of assets, including both fixed and mobile assets,may be managed by utilizing the robust wireless communications system100 c. The management computing system 302 may predetermine, forecast,or project an expiration date for a scheduled maintenance for the assetsbeing managed by the management computing system 302 based on historicalutilization information. Assets may also be scheduled based on responsesfrom OSHA questions or by the asset communicator 120 sensing maintenanceproblems with the asset 105. Maintenance events also may be scheduledmanually, such as by a maintenance supervisor. To determine theexpiration date, the management computing system 302 may inspect thevehicle utilization information of TABLE 4 as stored in a database 312,for example, and extrapolate future utilization of the asset 105.Additionally, software may track global parameters for the assets 105 todetermine the expiration date for the scheduled maintenance. Such globalparameters may include mileage and hours of use, motion, and lift time,for example, as well as calendar time since last maintenance.Additionally, the system may prioritize based on scheduled maintenancediscrepancies between the projected and scheduled maintenance times.

FIG. 24 is an exemplary block diagram 2400 indicative of a method formanaging scheduled maintenance of assets. The process starts at step2402. At step 2404, schedule maintenance due for an asset by apredetermined expiration date is determined. The determination may bemade manually or automatically. At step 2406, a message is communicatedto the asset using the communication technique of FIG. 9 to indicatethat the scheduled maintenance is due by the predetermined expirationdate. The message may be generated manually by a supervisor orautomatically by the management computing system 302. In one embodiment,the message is transmitted to the asset communicator 120 via a pagingmessage to ensure that the asset communicator 120 receives the messagewith an appropriate amount of time to have the scheduled maintenanceperformed on the asset.

At step 2408, an operator of the asset is notified of the scheduledmaintenance by communicating the message to the operator at the assetvia the asset communicator 120. The notification may be in the form of avisual display or an audible message. The process ends at step 2410.

The predetermined expiration date is a mandatory date for whichmaintenance is to be performed on the asset. In other words, thepredetermined expiration date is the date by which the asset must bebrought into a maintenance center, or a maintenance worker comes to theasset to perform the maintenance. Upon the asset having the scheduledmaintenance performed, the asset communicator 120 and/or the managementcomputing system 302 may be updated wirelessly. And, the assetcommunicator 120 may communicate with an on-board computer, such as anautomobile computer, to assist with the diagnostics. If, however, thescheduled maintenance is not performed on the asset before the end ofthe predetermined expiration date, then the asset communicator 120 maydisable, put into creeper mode, and/or disable certain features (e.g.,lift). At this point, only an authorized user, such as a supervisor ormaintenance personnel, may access the asset communicator 120 and operatethe asset.

Indirect Communications System

Fleet management and tracking of vehicles, railcars, and trucks, forinstance, may be a difficult venture due to situations of remotedistribution of the assets. Additionally, due to system coverageconstraints, it is possible that various assets within a fleet rarely ornever come within range of a local monitor 110. For example, railcarsoften times do not come within a certain minimum range of a station foran asset communicator 120 to form an asset communication link 130 with alocal monitor 110 located at the station. As another example, largeautomobile lots may preclude asset communicators 120 mounted toautomobiles located at the back of the parking lot from maintaining anactive asset communication link 130 with the wireless infrastructureunit 225, thereby preventing updating of the databases within the assetcommunicator 120 during potentially long periods of time. Additionally,certain wireless infrastructure units 225 may not include acommunication unit 230 a, 230 b, or 230 c. In such a case, the wirelessinfrastructure unit 225 communicates with at least one other wirelessinfrastructure unit 225 in order to indirectly communicate with themanagement computing system 302. For these and other reasons, analternative embodiment of the robust wireless infrastructure 100 c isprovided.

FIG. 25 is an exemplary embodiment of a wireless infrastructure 100 econsistent with that of FIG. 1 for providing wireless communications ona remotely populated fleet of assets 2500, such as railcars. As shown,the assets include a locomotive 105 g and attached railcars 105 h-105 k,and railcars 105 l and 105 m-105 n unattached to the locomotive 105 g.While the railcars 105 h-105 k may be within wireless communicationrange of the station 2502 and the local monitor 110, the railcars 105l-105 n are unable to form a wireless communication link with the localmonitor 110. However, it should be understood that the assetcommunicator/local monitor pair 120/110 may perform the same or similarfunctionality as the local monitor 110 having its databases (e.g., 312b, 314 b, and 315 b) being updated via the local monitor 110. It shouldbe further understood that the hardware of the local monitor 110 may besubstantially the same as asset communicator 120.

Coupled to the locomotive 105 g is an asset communicator/local monitorpair 120/110, which is a device that performs both asset communicator120 and local monitor 110 functions. Alternatively, only a local monitormay be deployed on the locomotive or key communication point. Byincluding a local monitor 110 with the locomotive 105 g, the assetcommunicator/local monitor pair 120/110 may operate as a mobile localmonitor, and communicate with asset communicators 120 that are unable tocommunicate directly with the local monitor 110 mounted to the station2502. Alternatively, the asset communicator/local monitor pair 120/110may be two or more devices coupled via a wired or wireless communicationlink.

The asset communicators 120 h-120 n may operate in a “repeater” mode,where the asset communicators 120 h-120 n are capable of communicatingthrough each other. In operating in the repeater mode, the assetcommunicators 120 h-120 n are capable of transmitting and receiving theinformation stored in their respective databases. The assetcommunicators 120 h-120 n may communicate directly with the assetcommunicator/local monitor pair 120/110 to form an asset communicationlink 130 e or with another asset communicator (e.g., between assetcommunicators 120 h and 120 i) to form an asset communication link 130f. Asset communicator 120 l is shown to be attempting a transmission ofdata with potential asset communication links 130 e/f. By having theasset communicators 120 h-120 n communicating the data between eachother and/or eventually to the asset communicator/local monitor pair120/110, the data generated in the asset communicators 120 h-120 neventually is capable of reaching the management computing system 302via the local monitor 110.

The robust wireless communications system 100 e is capable ofdetermining the number of existing assets 105 operating on the system100 e without having direct communication links to each asset 105 (i.e.,without complete coverage). Additionally, the system 100 e may be ableto determine the relative distances of the asset 105 from a localmonitor 110. To determine the relative distances, an algorithm may beutilized to determine the number of “hops”, where the number of hopsrefers to the number of intermediary links between the assetcommunicator 105 i and the local monitor 110, which is three in thiscase. To determine the number of hops, each asset communicator 120 mayperform a query to determine if a direct communication link 130 i to alocal monitor 110 may be established. If so, then the number of hops isdetermined to be one. Otherwise, upon a communication link 130 e betweenthe asset communicator 120 h and the asset communicator/local monitorpair 120/110, the asset communicator 120 h determines that the number ofhops is two by adding one to the number of hops returned by the assetcommunicator/local monitor pair 120/110. The process may repeat for eachof the asset communicators 120 i, 120 j, and 120 k, for example. Itshould be understood that the algorithm may be performed in other ways,but that the functionality should produce the same or similar results.

FIG. 26 is an exemplary flow diagram 2600 for an indirect uplinkcommunication with remotely populated assets utilizing the robustwireless communications system 100 e according to FIG. 3. The processstarts at step 2602. At step 2604, data is generated at a first mobilewireless device, such as the asset communicator 120 n. The data may bestored at the first mobile wireless device until a wirelesscommunication link is established with a second mobile wireless deviceor remote local monitor. At step 2606, the data is transmitted from thefirst mobile wireless device to the second mobile wireless device.Again, the data may be stored at the second mobile wireless device orremote local monitor until a wireless communication link is establishedwith a third mobile wireless device or local monitor. At step 2608, thedata is transmitted from the second mobile wireless device to the localmonitor, where the local monitor may be mounted to a mobile asset orfixed to a structure. Accordingly, the data may be in the form ofdatasets, and have transaction codes associated with each dataset as perthe uplink communication technique of FIG. 9. As the datasets arecommunicated throughout the network of mobile wireless devices andremote local monitors, the transaction codes may be used to identify thetemporal relationship between datasets produced by a mobile wirelessdevice. It should be understood that the data may be communicated, ineither the uplink or downlink direction, between any two mobile wirelessdevices without either of the mobile wireless devices having a wirelesscommunication link to any other mobile wireless device or local monitor110.

To avoid having endless loops of data communicating amongst the assetcommunicators 120, an algorithm is provided. The algorithm utilizes alisting of asset communicators 120 or remote local monitors throughwhich the data has passed. An asset communicator 120 or remote localmonitor does not send data through any asset communicator already in thelist. The asset communicators choose a nearby asset communicator 120 orremote local monitor that is deemed “closer” to the local monitor 110,where “closer” indicates that fewer communication “hops” are required toreach the local monitor 110.

The previous description is of a preferred embodiment for implementingthe invention, and the scope of the invention should not necessarily belimited by this description. The scope of the present invention isinstead defined by the following claims.

1. A method for providing access to an asset associated with a one ormore vehicle groups, said method comprising: receiving a first operatoridentifier from a first operator; determining one or more operatorgroups associated with the first operator identifier, each operatorgroup being indicative of a group of one or more potential operatorsauthorized to operate an asset associated with one or more vehiclegroups; determining, based on the one or more vehicle groups, the one ormore operator groups, and the first operator identifier, whether thefirst operator is associated with the one or more operator groupsauthorized to utilize the asset; and communicating with the asset toenable usage of the asset by the first operator in response tosuccessfully determining that the first operator is authorized toutilize the asset.
 2. The method according to claim 1, whereindetermining whether the first operator is authorized to utilize theasset comprises verifying that the first operator is associated with anoperator group permitted to use the asset in a particular location. 3.The method according to claim 2, wherein determining whether the firstoperator is authorized to utilize the asset comprises verifying that thefirst operator is associated with an operator group permitted to use theasset at a particular time.
 4. The method according to claim 1, whereindetermining the operator group is performed exclusively by a devicecoupled to the asset.
 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein theasset is a fixed asset.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein theasset is a mobile asset.
 7. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising receiving a password with the first operator identifier, andconfirming that the password is correct for the first operator beforeproviding access to the asset.
 8. The method according to claim 1,further comprising disabling the asset from being operated by the firstoperator if it is determined that the first operator is not associatedwith one of the operator groups authorized to use the asset in aparticular location.
 9. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising disabling the asset from being operated by the first operatorif the first operator's use extends past an allowable time of use forthe operator group associated with the first operator.
 10. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising disabling the asset from beingoperated by the first operator based on condition data.
 11. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising disabling the asset from beingoperated by the first operator when it is determined that presentcondition data does not match condition criteria associated with theoperator group associated with the first operator.
 12. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising disabling the asset afterdetermining that the asset is currently not being operated and has notbeen operated for a predetermined duration of time.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein determining the operator group comprisesaccessing a database, stored on a memory device coupled to the asset.14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising generating atransaction code in response to providing access to the asset.
 15. Themethod according to claim 14, further comprising forming a datasetincluding the transaction code, time of providing access to the asset,and the first operator identifier.
 16. The method according to claim 15,further comprising storing the dataset on a memory device coupled to theasset.
 17. The method according to claim 15 , further comprisingtransmitting the dataset.
 18. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising receiving a biometric measurement associated with a biometricidentifier of the first operator.
 19. The method according to claim 1,further comprising assigning groups of assets to a group of operators.20. An asset communicator disposed on a mobile asset having storedthereon sequences of instructions, the sequences of instructionsincluding instructions, when executed by a processor in the assetcommunicator, cause the processor to: receive a first operatoridentifier from a first operator via an input device; determine one ormore operator groups associated with the first operator identifierutilizing a database stored on the asset communicator, the one or moreoperator groups being indicative of a group of one or more potentialoperators authorized to operate assets associated with one or morevehicle groups; determine using the processor, based on the operatorgroup, the one or more vehicle groups, and the first operatoridentifier, whether the first operator is associated with one of the oneor more operator groups authorized to utilize the asset; and communicatewith the asset to enable usage of the asset by the first operator inresponse to successfully determining that the first operator isauthorized to utilize the asset.